Steve Erceg will look to turn things around in early 2025 – but not Down Under.
Although the promotion is set to return to his native Australia in February, Erceg (12-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will compete at UFC Fight Night 253 vs. rising Kazakh contender Asu Almabayev (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC). The event takes place March 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The promotion officially announced the bout Friday on social media.
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Erceg (12-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) burst into the international spotlight with consecutive wins over David Dvorak, Alessandro Costa, and Matt Schnell that aligned him for a surprising title fight vs. Alexandre Pantoja.
Pantoja defeated Erceg by unanimous decision, but the challenger was praised for his competitiveness. In August, Erceg returned and was finished in Round 1 with strikes by Kai Kara-France.
A potential dark horse at 125 pounds, Almabayev (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has largely dominated every opponent put in front of his thus far in the UFC. After a debut win over Ode Osbourne by submission, Almabayev won decisions unanimously against C.J. Vergara, Jose Johnson, and Matheus Nicolau.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 253 lineup includes:
Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics Asu Almabayev vs. Steve Erceg Luana Carolina vs. Montana De La Rosa Lucas Almeida vs. Danny Silva Hyder Amil vs. William Gomis Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez JJ Aldrich vs. Andrea Lee Charles Johnson vs. Ramazan TemirovSean Woodson wants 'fireworks' fight with Giga Chikadze on path to UFC title contention
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