Stephen Erceg has claimed victory in his UFC debut, scoring a unanimous decision victory over top ten flyweight David Dvorak on the UFC FightPass prelims of UFC 289 in Vancouver, Canada.
Erceg showcased a well-rounded game throughout the fight, rocking Dvorak with his striking as well as threatening submissions and using his wrestling to secure takedowns throughout the fight.
The first round remained a kickboxing affair, with Erceg and Dvorak trading punches and repeatedly throwing calf kicks at each other. The second round also was contested on the feet, until a right hand from Erceg rocked Dvorak, and a follow up head kick dropped the top flyweight, where Erceg jumped on a guillotine attempt that was unsuccessful. The third round saw Erceg push the pace on Dvorak, constantly walking forward and throwing strikes, forcing Dvorak to back into the fence, where both fighters initiated grappling exchanges.
Erceg stepped into this bout on eight days’ notice, and was originally slated to fight Clayton Carpenter in July, however Carpenter had to pull out due to an injury.
Erceg mentioned this in the cage after his win, saying, ‘I’ve been waiting a long time to get here, a lot of setbacks.’
In the cage, Erceg set his sights on UFC 293 in Sydney, calling for another top opponent to fight in September.
‘Anybody, but I want it in Sydney, I wanna fight in front of my home country…beat up another guy in the top 10.’ Erceg said.
This victory raises Erceg’s professional record to 10-1, and his winning streak to nine in a row.
