Can ‘Astro Boy’ Snap His Three-Fight Losing Streak?
In 2025, the UFC Flyweight Division has become one of the most entertaining weight classes within the sport. Fighters such as Alexandre Pantoja, Joshua Van, Brandon Royval, and Brandon Moreno have ushered in the most exciting era of Flyweight fighting. In a division filled top to bottom with elite talent, it’s easy to rule out number 10-ranked Steve Erceg from the title picture. However, despite being in the midst of the worst and only losing streak of his career, here’s why you should not count ‘Astro Boy’ out.
Steve Erceg made his UFC debut in 2023, after a near-perfect 9-1 start to his professional MMA career. Erceg, a high-level boxer, would quickly become a fan favorite within the Flyweight Division. Steve Erceg would be victorious against his first two UFC opponents, David Dvorak and Alessandro Costa. Erceg would follow up his 2-0 start in the UFC with his biggest win to date, a second-round knockout against Matt Schnell. After a 3-0 start in the UFC, Steve Erceg would headline his first pay-per-view against UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja.
In one of the closest fights of Pantoja’s dominant championship reign, Steve Erceg would ultimately come up short. A crucial mistake of shooting a takedown on Pantoja in round five would cost Erceg the round and the fight. The loss to Pantoja would begin Erceg’s three-fight skid, as the Australian would be knocked out for the first time in his career by Kai Kara-France in his very next fight. After two devastating losses, Steve Erceg would once again find himself in the loss column, this time against former Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno.
Steve Erceg will enter the octagon against Ode Osbourne at UFC Fight Night: Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez. Erceg, despite his three-fight losing streak, enters the fight as a massive favorite. Osbourne is a formidable opponent despite what Vegas says, as the ‘Jamaican Sensation’s’ aggressive approach provides a unique challenge for Erceg. Tonight is a must-win fight for Steve Erceg if he wishes to work his way up to another title fight. Steve Erceg proved in his Flyweight Championship fight against Alexandre Pantoja that he has what it takes to compete with the best. However, in a highly competitive Flyweight Division, every fight counts. Recently, the career resurgence of Dominick Reyes has proven that all it takes is one win for a fighter to gain their confidence back, and that’s exactly what Erceg will have to do tonight.
