SPOTLIGHT: COSTA VS PEREIRA

Fresh off a successful road trip to Perth – Eternal MMA heads back home to the Gold Coast to close out the year with another intriguing card filled with both established veterans and fresh talent  looking to put their stamp on the tail end of the 2021 calendar.  

The GC Sports Precinct will play host for Eternal 63 and its solid list of matchups, with one of the more entertaining prospects coming in the way of a bout featuring two athletes ready to take the  next big step in their professional careers. A co-main event slot that was originally slated for a  bantamweight title fight featuring champion – Shaun Etchell, will now see would-be challenger Diego  Pereira, face-off against the ever-ready late notice replacement in fellow Brazilian, Rod Costa.  

With the current title holder in Etchell recently suffering an injury to force him out of the fight, the  always game Diego Pereira was more than willing to take on any and all-comers without hesitation. A dreaded phone call from his manager confirming the bad news was absorbed and quickly turned  into a mission to salvage his spot on the card.  

“(I) immediately told my manager ‘Bro, I’ve been putting in so much work for the past eight weeks,  nine weeks. I’m not gonna let that go to waste and sit and wait for Shaun’s ass to heal. Find me  somebody else. I’m ready. It doesn’t matter whether I’m risking losing my shot or not, I’m ready.  Whoever they put in front of me I’m gonna merk them and still get my shot next year so, line them  up’.”

Pereira was quick to accept any opponent available.

A subsequent conversation was had with Eternal MMA promoter – Cam O’Neill, who went to work  on finding Pereira a willing late notice replacement. With veteran Brazilian Jiu Jitsu standout – Rod  Costa more than happy to answer the bell, a catchweight bout was agreed to by both parties to  cement the last-minute new look co-headliner. While it wasn’t the title-shot he had originally trained  for, the always game ‘El Pantera Negra’ was never going to let an opportunity slide to show the  world that he is ready to face any challenge that is thrown his way.  

“He (Cam O’Neill) said Rod can make ‘X’ weight. And then we agreed on a catchweight of 64 kilos. It  was a no brainer. No hesitation from me. I said, ‘Anybody. Just find them’. If they can find a  bantamweight, perfect. Because that’s what I’d been working towards. But if not, I’ll even accept a  featherweight. But (in the end) we ended up agreeing on a catchweight bout.” 

“I’m a competitor, doesn’t matter who. I don’t prepare for anybody specifically. I’m always training  all facets of MMA, improving my skills, working towards bettering myself. So, whoever, you know? I  was ready so, I’m glad we have an opponent and I’m glad I’m still competing this weekend.” 

While it is an opportunity to keep his place on the card at Eternal 62 and still compete at home on  the Gold Coast, Pereira is aware that Costa presents a different set of challenges compared to his  original opponent. With a cerebral mentality and dedicated team of coaches is ready to formulate  any game plan necessary, the Southside MMA product believes he has more than enough tools to  overcome the late change.  

“I’m constantly, daily, primarily focusing on myself, on my skills, bettering myself and my skillsets.  But whenever we get an opponent, we definitely have a look at them. My coaches break them down  where we talk about it and develop a game plan towards combating them. 

“This is a thinking game. I consider myself a martial artist, so I definitely approach it with a thinking mindset – thinking approach, to where I want to set them up for things. I want to impose my will and  utilise my strong suits against their weak suits.” 

“For Shaun, it was going to be one thing (game plan). For Rod, (it’s another) considering that he is a  world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor and thinking about his pedigree as a Jiu-Jitsu player and  what he’s done. We obviously know where our chances of success mostly lie. Where we can explore  looking at his previous fights, strengths, weaknesses.  

Pereira is an experienced grappler in his own right.

“We have a strong game plan for him. We are not in any way shape or form hesitating on whether  ‘hey, should we grapple with this guy, should we not grapple with this guy’. Wherever this fight goes,  I’m extremely confident in my skillset. I have no issues going to the ground with him if it goes there.  It is a mixed martial arts fight.  

“He can be a world Jiu-Jitsu champion, (but) when it comes to mixed martial arts, I believe I’m the  best guy around in the bantamweight and featherweight division. He can bring ADCC, IBJJF world  championship calibre (skills). Who he trains with, where he’s been, where he’s from, what he’s doing  – I do not care. I care that I am prepared, that I’ve done all the work and that come fight night I will  implement my game plan and I will get my hand raised. That’s what it’s about.”  

It’s hard to ignore the confidence that Diego Pereira has in himself. Fans are already well  accustomed to his high-octane as well as his larger-than-life personality. The charisma and  showmanship that he exhibits are merely part of a larger picture of an athlete who has grown as a  man under the guidance of a close-knit team and family. It is not through reckless abandon that  Pereira is willing to throw himself into the fire on late notice, but rather the confidence he gains  from that symbiotic network and tutelage of a family who have been there from the beginning. 

“Ever since I joined Southside it’s been like finding a new home and joining a new family. People  have come and gone but the key players have stayed; my head Jiu-Jitsu coach – Vicente Cavalcanti,  my head MMA coach – Paul Stolyar, my head striking coach – we call him ‘Uncle Dez’. We have our  management team – Liz and her partner Reon and her kids. 

“The key players have stayed around, and those key people have embraced me like one of their own  from day one. For a decade, I’ve grown tremendously. I’ve spoken about; not only as a martial artist  but as a person, as a man, as a human being. I’ve learned through the martial arts, but also through the example that they have set to be a better person; selfless, show love, show care – try to  demonstrate and show the same level of attention and giving to those that were coming after me  like those that came before me.” 

“We have a family environment within our gym and that’s what we cultivate. That’s why the energy  is so good. Every day in the gym it feels like we are having fun, we are enjoying (everything) and  that’s why we continue to evolve.”  

Pereira has a close relationship with his gym at Southside MMA.

Riding the momentum of a second-round heel-hook submission against Abdalla Eltigani at Eternal  61, Pereira will be looking to build upon that success with an even more impressive display. Looking  ahead to the fight at Eternal 63 – Pereira was steadfast in assessment of what a win against Rod  Costa will mean in terms of the next move in his career. 

“Winning this definitely will give me a title shot. Like I said, I had the title shot. I could sit and wait  for it. I chose to compete and gather more experience. After I win this, that will just put a stamp on  who the number one contender is. There’s no other name out there. I’ve made that clear not only at  bantamweight, but also at featherweight.”

“We had the opportunity to compete for the featherweight title back in March 2020 that didn’t  (result in a win). The guy who got the championship – Jack Jenkins, is still the champ today. So, I will  one hundred percent chase that rematch.” 

“My goal is to become a double champion and even triple champion. However many weight classes I  can get to; I will chase that because I am a competitor. I do believe for as long as I’m healthy for as  long as I’m young, hungry and I’ve got these skills, if there is somebody else out there claiming to be  the best; let’s compete, let’s find out who is actually the best. I carry that Max Holloway mindset.”  

“I will call out for both of those things (bantamweight and featherweight title fight) on Saturday  night, trust and believe. I will be on that mic, I will be calling for Shaun Etchell, I will be calling for  that Jack Jenkins rematch and whoever answers first, gets it. That’s the plan.”  

On his predictions for the fight this coming Saturday, Pereira’s demeanour took a pensive stance as  he pondered the outcome and what he is sure will be a must-see matchup for fight fans. 

“I see this being a very entertaining bout. Rod’s a tough dude, he’s from Brazil, man. He’s got heart, I  can tell, but he’s getting up there in age. I don’t see him being able to withstand my shots (and) the  way I’m going to pick him everywhere, all around. Legs, body, head, everything. He’s going to feel it.  

“Within the first round he might be able to survive and do his thing while he’s fresh, but I don’t see  him being able to get past the second round. If he does, I’ll be very surprised but he’s getting done  within that three rounds for sure.  

“It’s a second round TKO for me.” 

Pereira calls for a 2nd round TKO.

In the opposite corner, the man who will be looking to rain on the parade of Diego Pereira and  mount his own case for a title shot in his own right is as ready as ever.  

Hot off his recent TKO victory over Justin Van Heerden at Eternal 60 – Rod Costa is quickly becoming  known as the man to call when a fight needs salvaging. A short notice away game in Queensland was  not enough to deter Costa from accepting the last-minute request. Fighting out of Perth, Western  Australia, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt was ready to pack his bags and make the journey east to  make a statement.  

“I try to always keep training. Every gym, there’s those guys that come in, do the training camp, do  the fight, win, or lose they (then) disappear for a few months. Then they come back (and) do another  training camp. I try not to do that. I’m always training.  

“Every day I train. It might not be with the same intensity of course, as if I’m preparing (for a fight).  But I try to keep active with my training in between fights.” 

Costa is coming off a huge TKO victory at Eternal 60.

It’s not only the “always ready” attitude of Costa that should have fans eager to see him back in the  cage. Costa’s recent win showcased a continued evolution in his mixed martial arts career that is  becoming a scary prospect for any potential opponent he may face in the future.  

Considered by many as primarily a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist, Costa punctuated his victory over  Justin Van Heerden with an impressive display of stand-up striking, knocking his opponent down  three times before closing the show with vicious ground and pound in the dying seconds of the very  first round. It is the growth in this area of his game that he credits with a move to the acclaimed  Scrappy MMA and Fitness complex and its vast array of in-house knowledge. 

“One hundred percent it’s all due to Scrappy (and) all the guys at Scrappy. Even a little bit before I  joined, Jack (Eternal MMA lightweight champion, Jack Becker) started helping me because he was  already at Scrappy. You know, getting some good training in, getting some new concepts with  striking and trying to improve the striking.” 

“It’s a different type of training. It’s just more realistic striking stuff that I’ve never done before. I was  never a striker, but I’ve done a little boxing here and there in between my jiu-jitsu training. I used to  think I wasn’t half bad, but I was basically just doing boxing for fitness stuff. 

“Scrappy is a pretty hands-on, realistic MMA style striking-training. (So) it’s due to them one  hundred percent. Ben (Eternal MMA co-promoter and Scrappy MMA coach, Ben Vickers) is an  excellent coach, he surprised me so much. Not because I didn’t think he was good, but his style of  coaching and the way he does things is very similar to mine and they all have the knowledge there to  get someone to be able to be confident with striking.” 

“It’s been about a year since I moved there, since I started training with Ben and being a part of the  team. And that’s it, it’s from there, it’s from nowhere else. Before that I was just a tough dude that  didn’t mind getting hit and I think hits relatively hard, but there was no technicality. 

Costa credits his growth to his time at Scrappy MMA.

With Costa dividing his time between Scrappy MMA and his own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu centre – Costa  Academy Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Fitness, it’s been the close relationship that Costa has with  lightweight champion – Jack Becker that has been the catalyst for a harmonised training schedule between the two gyms.  

“Jack’s one of my closest friends. We literally started training as white belts within a couple months  of each other. We’ve been training since 2010 together. He’s at the gym here every day (Costa  Academy) and we go to Scrappy every day as well.” 

“Some of the Scrappy guys come here, we have a really good relationship. There’s no competition or  any politics. Some of my guys go there, too. It’s a f*****g awesome relationship, it’s great.” 

For Costa, the Jiu-Jitsu academy is a culmination of dedicating himself to his passion twice a day,  every day for the past decade. Originally born in Brazil, it wasn’t until Costa moved to Australia that  he began to take up training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu himself.  

“I was always a fan of fighting. And then I moved to Australia. I remember always thinking about  starting. Not that it was in my mind every day. But every once in a while, I would be like ‘I wish I  could…It would be good to do Jiu-Jitsu’. I’d watch fights all the time. And then one day I just came in  and went with a friend like five years after arriving in Australia.  

“I arrived in Australia in 2005 and in 2010 after thinking about it every once in a while, I got a friend  together and we went to a gym, and we started in March 2010 and never stopped. I was at uni, I  stopped going to classes, I failed all my units (much) to the disdain of my father and my mum.  

“I started just training twice a day, every day literally from the get-go as a white belt. I had such a  narrow focus, I just loved it so much. I kept doing it, I got my blue belt within six months. I got good  really quick. Not good, but I got to a good level for a beginner really quick. That’s how I started. I’ve  never looked at anything else. I didn’t know exactly that I wanted to follow this as a career and open  a gym.  

Costa has a myriad of Jiu-Jitsu experience.

“But that’s all I was doing. I was just like ‘f**k everything else’ until I find what I want to do at uni or  until I find something I love. I like doing this. So, I’m going to do this. 

It was this fire that Costa had inside of him that catapulted him on a ten-year journey filled with  various accolades and achievements that included travelling internationally to compete in the most  prestigious tournament in the world – the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships. It would be here that  Costa would win bronze as a purple belt, making him the first Australian ever to accomplish that  feat. More international success would follow in various other tournaments over the next few years,  as the crowning moment in his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journey would see him awarded his black belt by  long-time coach, Filipe Pena.  

Injuries would eventually catch up with Costa while he was competing, and so his attention turned  to sharing his ten years of jiu-jitsu experience by opening the Costa Academy in Myaree, Western  Australia. A passion that he continues to this day while competing as a mixed martial artist  competing under the Eternal MMA banner.  

With his focus now entirely on the fight against the highly talented, Diego Pereira – Costa gave his  thoughts on his opponent and how he feels he measures up against his fellow countryman.  

“I don’t like to stress myself with how (the fight) is going to go. But I have watched him before I  knew I was going to fight him. He’s one of the few guys at the top of the division in Eternal MMA. I  watched his fight with (Jack) Jenkins a while back. I saw his last fight with (Abdalla) Eltigani, I was  there in the stadium. So, I’ve seen a l little bit.”  

“But I think my jiu-jitsu is just on another level (compared) to him, and all of the guys to be honest in  the featherweight division. Anything can happen, I can get submitted, he can crack me and then  submit me. Anything can happen to anyone. But in terms of, if I do everything right, I think there’s  honestly no danger in the jiu-jitsu.  

“But again, you never know. I might go in there and he just surprises me, and he does better. So, I’m  not thinking it’s going to be easy when I get the ground. But I don’t have easy rounds, man. I train  hard jiu-jitsu with hard people.”  

“In the striking, I know he’s good. He seems to be really explosive; he’s got power, I think. He’s got  really good movement. But again, I think I can keep myself safe and if he gives me the opportunity, I  can do some stuff as well. But that’s why the fight is good, that’s why you get nervous. I’m not sure  what’s going to happen.  

“One thing that I hate is we’re in this stage everyone is trying to talk s**t. Everyone’s just trying to  say they’re going to smash this guy; they’re going to do (this and) that. No one knows how it’s going  to go. I think I’m going to win, I’m very confident. But if there wasn’t that little bit of fear of like ‘man  is this guy going to be better here, am I going to be able to deal with this to deal with that’, it  wouldn’t be as exciting as it is. So, I’m confident, but I know anything can happen in a fight. I’m  ready for everything, I’m ready to go into deep waters.” 

With two Brazilian fighters finding the range in their skillset and eager to make a statement in front  of a capacity crowd on the Gold Coast; this one cannot be missed.  

BRENTIN MUMFORD: A DECADE IN THE GAME

After a year delayed by fight cancellations and border closures, Eternal MMA’s perennial lightweight contender, Brentin Mumford finally gets his shot at the Eternal lightweight championship this Saturday at Eternal MMA 63.

Originally scheduled to challenge former champion Dan Hill at Eternal MMA 61, Mumford was forced to pull out of the fight due to Australia’s COVID-19 border restrictions. 

In his place stepped Perth lightweight, Jack Becker, who managed to defeat Hill in a one-round firefight which ended when Becker stopped Hill with a devastating barrage of punches that folded the former champion on the canvas.

Mumford has been forced to wait, before making his next walk to the cage.

Having come up short in his last two attempts at winning Eternal gold, Mumford will be hoping that third time’s the charm when he challenges Becker, but the 34-year-old veteran knows time isn’t on his side, and that this fight could be his last. 

“If I do retire, It’ll be nice to go out with a win. I’m 34; I’ve poured 10 years into this sport and this will be my nineteenth fight, so this could be it. But I’m only focusing on this fight, and when the dust settles on Sunday we’ll see what’s next.” Mumford said.

When asked how he felt about sharing the cage with Mumford for what could be his last outing, the champion Becker was in no mood for sentimentalities. 

“Fairytale endings and narratives are irrelevant; sometimes you don’t get what you deserve. You take what you can on the day and that’s why I love this sport. It makes men.” Becker said.  

Mumford, who trains at CMBT Training Centre, is also excited to share the card with his teammates. 

“Having the six of us on the card – me, Josh Kunhe, Darcy Vendy, Tristan Murphy, Jayden Tillinger and Jesse Yada – is going to be unreal! The energy and the vibe of the gym has been amazing… we’ve all been helping each other prepare and game plan for our fights.

Brentin’s looking forward to the home-crowd energy

“We’re fighting at home, in front of our home crowd and that always brings another level of energy! What better way than to ride off into the sunset headlining a card with five of your team mates. It’s going to be a great night.” Mumford exclaimed.

If this is to be Mumford’s last fight, it’ll be a sad day for Australian MMA. Mumford has been a constant presence in the Australian MMA scene for the last decade, sharing the cage with some of Australia’s best lightweights. This weekend’s fight will also mark his eighth appearance for Eternal MMA, making him one of the promotion’s most dependable and durable veterans. 

Stephen Erceg: The hometown (Astro)Boy wins big in Perth

HBF Stadium in Perth, Western Australia was not only the scene of an incredibly entertaining fight card featuring both up and coming as well as established talent, but also ground zero for a statement made by one of the hottest prospects in Australian mixed martial arts today.  

Eternal 62 saw defending flyweight champion and Perth native – Stephen Erceg simultaneously  retain his crown as the best 57 kilo combatant in the country, as well as establish himself as one of, if  not the premier mixed martial artist fighting within Australian shores, regardless of weight class.  

With a capacity crowd eager to see another high-level performance from their local hero, the stage  was tailor-made for a champion like Erceg to shine. 

The packed out HBF Stadium played host for Eternal 62.

And shine he did. If there were any questions as to who the better man was after Erceg had already beaten his once again opponent in Paul Loga back at Eternal 47, they were no longer by nights end this time around. Make no mistake, Paul Loga is a high level mixed martial artist who on his day can mix it up with the best Australia has to offer and come out on top. Unfortunately for him, Stephen Erceg has his number. He has now stopped Loga twice in the first round in two fights. It’s no accident nor is it a fluke. This is a man who is on top of his game with an elite set of skills that are a class above his competition.  

It wasn’t just Erceg’s ability to once again negate the fleet footed Loga’s high octane style, but also  his obvious pedigree in the fundamental facets of MMA offence that lead to his first successful title  defence; the foot work, the cage control, the ability to physically wear on his opponent combined  with the utilisation of knees within the clinch were all keys to slowing down his lively adversary.

Speaking to Eternal MMA while on a well-deserved getaway, Erceg himself alluded to the fact that these were areas in which he and his team identified in preparation for the fight that would lead to  victory. 

“His most dangerous time of the fight is the first three minutes and after that you can see his  technique start to go away a little bit because he’s a bit tired. After he hit me, and sort of forced the  clinch himself I thought ‘we’ll just use this opportunity to sap his arms a little bit and we’ll come out  of it in a much better spot’.”  

Erceg was more than happy to engage in the clinch.

“He was heavier (at the time of fighting) than me, I think. I was taller than him. It didn’t matter if he  was stronger than me. I was just trying to make him use his arms. If he has to use his arms, he has a  little less power which takes his percentage of winning from 30 percent to 20 percent.” 

“As soon as we exited the clinch, he stopped, put his arms down and went (exhales deeply).” “We’ve got five rounds – he’s getting tired and doing that…It’s going to be a long night forhim.” 

It would take Erceg little more than a minute longer than their previous match to once again finish  his rival in their second fight, this time with a ruthless mounted guillotine that gave Loga no choice  but to tap out and further confirm the defending champion as the number one flyweight competitor  in Australia. A glancing counter right hook seemingly caught Loga behind the ear and briefly dropped  him to his knees. The split second it took for him to get back to his feet was all Erceg needed to close  the show. With Loga’s neck briefly exposed on the way back up, Erceg latched onto it with deadly precision, dragged him back to the canvas and called the game with a mounted guillotine at two minutes and thirty-one seconds in the very first round.

Erceg capitalised on an early opening.

An accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner with a brown belt ranking, the guillotine choke is a  weapon that Erceg is more than capable of pulling out given the smallest of opportunities to do so. 

“He got up so fast, he obviously wasn’t dazed or rocked or anything like that. It (right hook) off balanced him to some degree. I’ve been known as a guillotine guy for a long time so, if you let me on your neck it’s definitely danger.” 

The choke itself was very reminiscent of an instance in the recent UFC featherweight title match  between fellow Australian, Alexander Volkanovski and Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Brian Ortega. Volkanovski  of course somehow survived a very tight mounted guillotine attempt from Ortega to go on and win  the match; a memory that flashed through the mind of Erceg in the seconds he found himself delivering the very same submission to Paul Loga.  

“When I had the choke, all I could think about was Volkanovski getting out. – Erceg said with a laugh. “I was like ‘I’ve got to make sure that I do everything possible so that he can’t slip his head’.”

Erceg’s finish was reminiscent of Volkanovski VS Ortega back in September.

At just 26 years of age, Erceg is arguably years away from his prime as a combat sports athlete.  What’s remarkable about his achievements up until this point is it seems the champ himself is still  trying to figure out in his own mind just how good he truly is. With a healthy respect for his  opponents and a humble approach when talking about his own abilities, it seems Erceg’s results and  impression of himself are starting to align more and more with each fight.  

Feeling fresh after a title fight in which he was able to reflect upon his win with a clean bill of health,  Erceg cut a pensive figure regarding the leadup to first successful title defence and what his  performance means in terms of his stature among the elites of Australian MMA. 

“A few days before that (the fight) I was s*****g myself. I was ‘scared’, is probably the best word;  worried ‘blah blah’, you don’t know what’s going to happen. 

“And then on the day of the weigh-in, all the nerves went away, it was really odd. I saw him (and) it  didn’t feel like I was fighting, almost. I just saw some guy who I knew I was about to fight but I wasn’t  nervous at all. Most of the actual day of the fight I wasn’t nervous and then obviously when I rocked  up to the building, I started feeling those anxious butterflies in my stomach.” 

“But as it got closer, I was nervous that I wasn’t nervous enough. It was an interesting feeling. I knew  that if I didn’t take him seriously enough, he’s good enough that he can definitely end my night. So, I  had to be aware that it wasn’t an easy fight, and if it was, that’s great but, I had to mind my P’s and  Q’s.”

“Originally, I was over-hyping him in my head, and then I was worried that I went too far the other way and thought too much of myself.” 

“I definitely didn’t expect it (the fight) to go that fast again. I don’t know what it means, whether  I’m better than I thought or I got lucky again, I don’t know what to make of it completely yet. It is  nice to sort of put out there that this stuff isn’t necessarily just luck – it’s happening for a reason.”

“I’m always weary of those fighters that sort of get too full of themselves and get too big for their britches, if you will. And I don’t want to be that guy, so I’m trying to compartmentalise everything  and make sure that I have a healthy regard of my skill set and not a fabricated one.” 

Erceg does his best to stay grounded before and after a fight.

One factor that certainly helped put a smile on Erceg’s face was the ability to fight at home. A huge  crowd packed into HBF Stadium west of Perth and the majority made their voices heard in support  of their hometown hero; something Erceg does not take for granted.  

“It seemed like the most support I’ve ever had in the building before. My supporters are always really loyal. I don’t know if it’s because a lot of them are FIFO workers too and stuff like that, so I  don’t know if maybe it just worked out on a swing where everybody was back or maybe I won a lot  of fans in the last fight. But it seemed like the whole stadium was packed with people that wanted  to see me do well.” 

“Of course, it means heaps to me. I love talking to people and helping people when I can. To have  people support me back – it’s very special.” 

Erceg had his biggest following yet inside HBF Stadium.

With a professional career still in relative infancy, it seems Erceg is at a point in his life where his  performances are starting to make a believer out of himself. Having now notched six finishes from  eight wins and four of those in the first round – it is a record worthy of admiration, but Erceg is not  one to rest on his laurels. Always eager to improve himself, Erceg admits that he is likely his own  biggest critic when it comes to post-fight analysis, even when he manages to exit the cage virtually  unscathed and a win in the bag. 

“Every time I have a fight, I’ll go backstage and almost always the first thing I do is say ‘oh this s**t  happened’ or ‘oh I did this when I should have done that’. There’s always something in my mind  straight after the fight that I thought I didn’t do very well. So, I’m always trying to improve on my  technique.” 

“First thing I said after this fight was ‘I can’t believe that right hand landed.’ (Loga’s first successful strike to Erceg’s eye). I was trying to figure out exactly what I was thinking and what I was doing as  to why that happened. 

“It shouldn’t have happened that early. If that’s all I was worried about (Loga’s hands) I should have  at least been out of the way for the first minute, right? So, I’m trying to figure out what I was doing  wrong there. I think I was just trying too heavily to counter it with my kick, and I got a little too high.” 

It’s exactly that kind of critical mindset that has yielded the success that it has up until this point in  his career for AstroBoy. With the Australian MMA scene very much on the rise, there is plenty of  competition when it comes to who has the right to call themselves the best, regardless of weight  class. As it stands, Erceg feels he now belongs in the conversation. 

“I honestly can’t think of another guy that could be number one, just because I feel like I’ve fought  more than the other guys that are in the conversation.” Erceg said, thoughtfully. 

“Obviously Jack Della was the other guy (number one) deservedly. And he’s made the UFC now.” 

“He was unquestionably the best guy, I thought. When I looked at Eternal MMA it was Jack Della for  sure. And now that he’s gone, hopefully, I’m that guy.”

“Out of the other Eternal guys, maybe (current Eternal MMA lightweight champion) Jack Becker.  He’s fought for a long time, but I couldn’t really name another one that I thought was above me, so  to say.” 

Of course, with Erceg’s current run of success, talk of an international MMA career is inevitable.  With a host of local fighters making their way overseas in recent times, Eternal MMA is quickly  proving to be a breeding ground for the best home-grown talent looking to take the next big step in  their combat sports journey.  

We have seen the likes of the aforementioned Jack Della – a former Eternal MMA welterweight  champion, earn himself a contract with the UFC on Dana Whites contender series. Other names like  Casey O’Neill, Jacob Malkoun, Chelsea Hackett, Carlos Ulberg and more have all fought under the  Eternal MMA banner and gone on to find varying rates of success internationally. Stephen Erceg is  no different when it comes to similar aspirations.  

“I honestly can’t think of another guy that could be number one.”

The current Eternal landscape still holds plenty of challenges for Erceg, though. During a  conversation prior to his recent title win, Erceg himself went on record suggesting that he has  interest in fighting current Eternal bantamweight – Shaun Etchell. Erceg has found recent success at  bantamweight – fans will remember well his three-round war with rising star Cody Haddon. With  Etchell now slated to defend his title at Eternal 63 against livewire contender – Diego Pereira, Erceg  is more than happy to face the winner of that fight should he be given the chance.  

“One hundred percent.” Erceg remarked, when asked if he would want to face the winner.  

“I don’t really think there’s many people at flyweight at the moment. The only other guy – that’s sort  of inactive – is Shannon Ross, and he hasn’t fought in a while. I think he’s injured to be honest. So,  the one that makes most sense is the winner of that fight.” 

When questioned about who he views as the better fighter between Etchell and Pereira right now,  Erceg was complimentary in his assessment about both of his potential future opponents but is still  unsure as to who presents the bigger challenge. 

“I had a really high opinion of Diego before he fought (current Eternal featherweight champion) Jack  Jenkins. And then I thought Abdalla (Eltigani) looked really good against him until he got caught. So, I  don’t know what to make of Diego at the moment. And I thought Shaun Etchell didn’t look that good  until he fought his last opponent and then I thought he looked phenomenal. So, I want to see that fight.” 

Always keen to learn more about his competition’s skill set as well as improve on his own, Erceg has  been keeping a close eye on both Etchell and Pereira. 

“I’ve studied Shaun Etchell a whole heap. I’ve watched every single one of his fights. I’m very familiar with his fighting style and what I think he does well. I just didn’t think he was as good as he was until  he fought his last opponent. And Diego Pereira – I watch a lot of his fights but less intently. He, I  thought, was better than maybe I suspect he is now, but we’ll see.” 

There is a lot to like when it comes to the prospects in Stephen Erceg’s future and the challenges that will inevitably present themselves to him. For now, he is enjoying his first successful title fight  with a short holiday before getting right back on the horse. Not one to stay away from the mix for  too long, Erceg sees himself back in the gym sooner rather than later.

“We are here for a week so, I get back on Tuesday, and I’ll be back in the gym on Tuesday. I don’t like  taking too much time off, if any. Usually, I’d be in on Monday but I couldn’t do that this time.” 

“So many things to work on – so little time.” 

With Eternal 63 less than two weeks away, and with that a title fight that may produce the next  opponent for Stephen ‘AstroBoy’ Erceg, it may not be long before we get to see exactly what tools  he has added to his already impressive arsenal, as he continues in search of further glory with  Eternal.

ETERNAL MMA 62 RECAP

Is Stephen ‘AstroBoy’ Erceg (8-1) the best pound-for-pound fighter in Australian MMA? Possibly.

The Eternal flyweight champion continued to make that claim with a first round submission victory against Paul Loga (7-6). Prior to the fight, Erceg expressed that he wanted to leave no doubt about who was the better fighter between the two, and after tonight there is no doubt.

Erceg used his wrestling to control Loga against the cage for the majority of the round, before pouncing on a Loga slip to quickly secure a guillotine. The submission was special too, with Erceg finishing the guillotine from a mounted position.

Erceg snatches a tight mounted guillotine in the first round.

What’s most impressive about Erceg is how well-rounded his skillset is. He poses a threat wherever the fight ends up, making him a dangerous opponent regardless of who’s he’s fighting. During his now seven-fight win streak Erceg has amassed five finishes, including four submission wins. Even more impressively, Erceg has marked his win streak with stoppage victories over Australia’s best flyweights, Tim Moore and Shannon Ross.

After the fight, Erceg told Eternal MMA’s Dan Maudsley that he felt he was now ready for a UFC opportunity. “Call Dana now because I think I’m ready for those guys,” said Erceg. It’s hard to disagree with him.

Elsewhere on the card, Quillan Salkilld (1-1) got himself into the win column for the first time with a slick guillotine choke against lightweight veteran Nicko Flessas (2-8). Salkilld’s size advantage proved to be too much to overcome for Flessas, which became apparent when the fight made its way to the cage floor. Salkilld was able to dominate Flessas on the mat before finally sealing the deal with a smooth guillotine. Flessas proved dangerous in moments during the fight, dropping Salkilld with an extended right, but failed to follow up on his work after being dropped in the same exchange by Salkilld’s flailing right.

Salkilld landed himself the Submission of the Night bonus.

Harv Mohar (0-1) showcased flashy and unusual footwork in his split decision loss to Jack Hayes (2-1) – the second time they’ve fought to a split decision (Mohar won that time) – but Mohar was ultimately let down in the end by his striking accuracy and precision. The bout was evenly contested in the first two rounds, but after fading away in the third, Hayes should feel fortunate that the fight was only a three round affair. Hayes’ victory now means that both fighters hold a win over each other. A rubber match now seems inevitable, especially considering how razor-close their first two encounters were. Imagine if that ends up being a draw?

A third fight seems inevitable for Hayes and Mohar.

Jesse Armstrong (3-1) opened the main card with an exceptional performance against Khan Deatta (0-2), submitting Deatta with a vicious rear naked choke in the first round. Armstrong was able to secure the choke after locking Deatta in a standing body triangle for the majority of the round. It was a controlled and confident performance from Armstrong who dominated from start to finish.

Armstrong set the tone for the Main Card, with his own first round submission.

In all, Eternal MMA 62 proved to be a delight for submission fans, with three of the four main card bouts ending in first round submissions. It was a night that also stamped Erceg’s position as one of the best fighters on the Eternal MMA roster.

Watch Eternal MMA 62 on UFC Fight Pass!