The reaction from many MMA fans when they heard that Steve Erceg would face Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 was, “Who?”
Erceg is only ranked No. 10 in the division and the Australian has only fought three times in the UFC.
But this Saturday evening he will challenge the Brazilian in the champion’s backyard, Rio de Janeiro, no doubt serenaded by local fans’ chants of ‘uh vai morrer’, which translates as ‘you’re going to die’.
Erceg’s big chance was an unexpected call for fans, but also for the man himself.
He was eating a bucket of fried chicken when his celebration was interrupted by UFC bosses who asked if he wanted to face Pantoja for the title.
Steve Erceg (right) is the unlikely challenger to Alexandre Pantoja’s flyweight title in Rio
The man fans compare to Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott in The Office is at number 10
Erceg has won all three of his fights in the UFC so far, but his height is a surprise
Eceg explained on UFC Embedded: “I was back a few days after the Matt Schnell fight, I just went to get some KFC and I got a call from my manager saying they wanted me to fight Pantoja.
“So I was in a strange place. I didn’t know whether to finish the box or put it away.
“I finally decided to finish KFC and then started calling my dad, my coach and stuff like that.”
Even though Erceg is a relative newcomer to life in the biggest MMA promotion, that doesn’t mean his skills don’t justify the tremendous opportunities presented to him.
He is undefeated in 11 fights, losing just once as a professional and defeating Matt Schnell with an impressive KO in his last meeting.
So who is the 28-year-old from Perth?
Erceg explained that his interest in the UFC was sparked when he realized that certain skills could help smaller fighters defeat much larger, more powerful men.
He said: “Brock Lesnar came to the UFC and there was a lot of fuss about him having the biggest hands in the UFC. They made him custom this, custom that, he is an absolute animal, a monster.
Erceg, pictured here with his other half Katelyn, will have a huge opportunity on Saturday
“And he fought a guy named Frank Mir, and even though they were both heavyweights, Frank Mir looked like a much smaller gentleman, and I just didn’t think he had a chance to beat Brock.
“When the fight started, Brock gave him a shout, and out of nowhere Frank grabbed his foot, twisted his ankle, and Brock has to give up. Watching a bigger man get bugged by a smaller man intrigued me, as a naturally smaller person, to find out what the heck happened.
“From that moment on, I knew I wanted to at least know what was going on there, and I asked my father to find a gym as soon as possible.”
Without raising his profile to the point where he’s instantly recognizable to casual fans, Erceg has acquired a number of lookalikes.
Actor Steve Carrell is one, particularly his character in The Office ‘Michael Scott’, who has been compared to the Australian flyweight.
Zoolander, Aaron Rodgers and Novak Djokovic are others he has been compared to in the past.
Even his nickname ‘Astro Boy’ came from a resemblance to the character from a Japanese comic series.
He said, “It’s not even a good story. We were brainstorming, and I brought up “Wonderboy” because Stephen Thompson has the same name, so I was like, “Oh, Wonderboy.”
“My coach’s ex-girlfriend said, ‘Oh, what about Astro Boy?’ You look a bit like him.’ That’s literally it. It kind of stuck and people liked it, so I took it. I don’t even think I wrote it on my fighter card. I think one of my old corners decided to put it down. It has stuck ever since.”
It’s almost a perfect storm for Erceg in terms of the flyweight contenders not fitting in when it comes to facing Pantoja.
Pantoja has the pressure of fighting on home soil on his shoulders this weekend
Of the nine men above him, Brandon Royval had just been defeated, Brandon Moreno had lost, and the remaining seven were either assigned a fight, injured, or hadn’t blown the doors down with a “pick me” performance.
And Pantoja, despite his ranking, has a suspicious respect for Erceg. He told Sherdog: ‘Erceg is a very tough fighter. He’s big and strong for our weight class. He is also young. He’s part of the new generation of guys coming into MMA.
‘I’m preparing harder than usual, especially because we’re going to fight at my house. I want to put on a great show for everyone. I am convinced that Erceg deserves this opportunity. I train very hard for my fight. I’m still evolving.
“I always talk about how tough the flyweight division is,” Pantoja said. “Without a doubt, any Top 10 man can provide the champion with a tough challenge. I will make sure I do everything I can to remain world champion.”
Although Erceg is an unlikely challenger, he is not an outrageous underdog, currently a 7/4 outsider to upset the champion.
But he can go into the fight completely free of pressure, with all the weight of expectation and support from home on Pantoja.
Erceg is the taller man, but remains an underdog with the bookmakers for the main event of UFC 301
One man familiar with Erceg’s capabilities is Alexander Volkanovski, his compatriot who is confident of a finish ahead of his compatriot.
The former featherweight champion told Fox Sports Australia: ‘Steve Erceg is about to shock the worldAnd that’s why I’m so excited about this fight.
‘Because when I see Steve fight, I know he’s ready for this. And I know it might be harder for other people to (agree) because they haven’t seen him tested in combat.
“But I know if he was, he would have shown it. And now on Sunday he gets that chance. I think he catches the champion in the third round,” he continued.
“Pantoja has a style that is dangerous, so Steve will have to respect that and weather the storm early. He doesn’t want to try to capitalize right away, he might get caught. Besides, he can handle that fire anyway.
Can the humble Australian shock the world in enemy territory?
“So he’ll dodge some of the big things coming his way, figure things out… and then it’ll be, ‘who cares that this is in Rio, who cares that the crowd is captivating, who cares out to face the champion?’
“Steve will be calm and collected, and that’s why I think it will happen in the middle rounds. He catches it or gets the submission.”
If Volkanovski is right, it will be one of the most remarkable ascents to UFC glory in recent years and the chants of “you’re going to die” will be silenced in Rio de Janeiro.