“Astroboy” is planning to rebound.

No. 10-ranked former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg takes on 11-fight veteran Ode Osbourne in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 109 this weekend (Sat., Aug. 9, 2025) from inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Erceg made a gigantic splash onto the UFC scene in 2023 after dominating Australia’s regional circuit. As a heavy underdog, he outclassed David Dvorak in his debut to crack the rankings. Five months later, he bested Alessandro Costa at Madison Square Garden, followed by a stunning knockout of Matt Schnell four months after that (watch highlights).

Riding a 3-0 UFC record and a highlight-reel knockout, “Astroboy” earned a dream shot at Alexandre Pantoja’s Flyweight title at UFC 301. He came agonizingly close but fell short in a hard-fought battle.

As everyone knows, mixed martial arts (MMA) can be exceptionally brutal and can hit fighters hard and fast. That’s what happened to Erceg, who was knocked out by Kai Kara-France (watch highlights) and then lost a unanimous decision to Brandon Moreno earlier this year.

“Of course, I feel the pressure,” Erceg said during UFC Vegas 109 media day. “Being in the UFC has been my dream forever. Being on a three-fight losing streak feels like I’m fighting for my contract now, and that’s not a nice place to be. If you dwell on that too much, it can be detrimental to your performance, so all I can control is what I do, and that’s what I’ll focus on.”

Erceg aims to deliver a “you must have forgot” type performance to reassert his potential, but he’s clear that the result trumps the method.

“Honestly, I don’t think it matters what kind of performance; the result is the most important thing,” Erceg said. “I’m going to go out there and do my thing. If that means a spectacular finish, that’s awesome. If it means a less exciting stand-up, wrestling, or grappling affair, so be it. I’m going to do my best, and I know he’ll do his best, and we’ll see who the better man is.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 109 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET.

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