"He’s one of the best” - Steve Erceg elaborates on his callout of former champion Brandon Moreno following walk-off KO victory
Brandon Moreno was called out by budding bantamweight contender Steve Erceg following his epic knockout victory at UFC Vegas 87.
Erceg made his promotional debut in 2023, and is known for having elite grappling skills. But the Australian has clearly worked hard on his striking skillset, as he secured a walk-off KO against Matt Schnell after landing a perfect left hook.
He extended his MMA record to 12-1 overall and 3-0 inside the UFC, and called for a clash with Moreno during his post-fight interview in the octagon.
During his appearance in front of the media at the post-event press conference, 'AstroBoy' shared the reasons behind his callout of the former champion. He said:
"He's one of the best in the world, a former title holder. Obviously, he's coming off of two losses, and I am looking to get myself into the top 5 [of the division]. So I think a win over him not only improves my confidence because I'm beating somebody that was at that level. But that really puts me into that title contention picture."
Watch Erceg discuss his Brandon Moreno callout below from 3:20:
Steve Erceg reviews Brandon Moreno's "average" looking performance against Brandon Royval
Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval faced off in a much anticipated rematch in the main event of UFC Mexico City on Feb. 25.
Royval was able to exact revenge on his opponent by securing a split-decision victory over the former champion, and may have have secured himself yet another title shot against Alexandre Pantoja..
The Mexican is known for his well-roundedness, as well as his fantastic striking skills. But his clash with 'Raw Dawg' saw him coming off second best in many of the striking exchanges, and it appeared that 'The Assassin Baby' struggled with his opponent's timing.
After calling out the former champion following UFC Vegas 87, Steve Erceg was asked to share his thoughts on Moreno's performance against Royval. He said:
"I didn't think that was his best performance. I don't know if it was the range that was giving him trouble or, I'm not sure. He looked a little bit sloppy in that fight, usually he's a really good boxer. He looked average last week." [3:45-4:00 in the aforementioned video]