Australia’s No.1 flyweight (125 lbs) fighter, Stephen “Astroboy” Erceg (9-1 MMA) has signed
an exclusive multi-fight agreement with the UFC.
Last year Stephen was scheduled to have his audition for the UFC on the globally televised Dana White’s Contender Series, but due to visa issues he was unable to perform on the big stage and he headed back to Australia.
The resilience shown during this time is a testament to Erceg’s character, a man who is not only capable and confident inside the cage but continues to put in the work outside it and leaves little to chance in chasing his goals.
Over the weekend at Eternal MMA 73, Stephen added another victory to his resume with a slick first-round submission of Japanese fighter Soichiro Hirai (4-2 MMA). In what was expected to be a close contest “Astroboy” showed his ability to dominate on the ground and stop the fight early.
As he headed backstage, filled with adrenaline and heart pumping off a quick stoppage victory he did not expect the following events. Mick Maynard and Hunter Campbell, two of the senior executives at the UFC were waiting for him and he was offered a contract on the spot.
Courtney Hard Day, Rival Sports Management: “Steve had to overcome quite a few setbacks last year including well documented visa issues which kept him out of his Contender Series bout. The team at Rival Sports are thrilled that Steve is now where he deserves to be, fighting the best athletes in the biggest MMA promotion in the world.”
Cam O’Neill, Eternal MMA: “There is excitement in the air across Australian MMA and the future looks bright for Eternal MMA fighters. We are looking forward to more athletes following in the footsteps of Stephen Erceg and being given the opportunity to compete against the best in the world.”
Eternal 74 will be held at Southport Sharks, Gold Coast on March 18 with the two title fights. The welterweight strap is on the line with champion Kaleb Rideout(7-2) defending against Joseph Luciano (7-1). In the co-main, the Lightweight champion David Martinez (9-4) will be fighting Blake Donnelly (6-1). You can catch the main card action on UFC Fight Pass and the prelims free on the Eternal MMA YouTube.
Australia’s No.1 MMA Promotion, Eternal MMA are pleased to announce their partnership renewal with CMBT Nutrition for 2023 events season.
CMBT (pronounced “combat”) was established to provide combat athletes with the highest quality, most effective, banned substance tested, nutritional and sports supplementation possible.
The exclusive partnership with CMBT Nutrition will see Australia’s leading premium sports supplements brand activate major rights that includes octagon branding and bespoke digital content for social media and Eternal’s broadcast partnerships with UFC Fight Pass. CMBT will also provide Eternal MMA fighters with banned substance tested performance and recovery products before and during each bout.
CMBT Nutrition is developed by combat athletes, combat dietitians and sports scientists and was created as a vehicle to assist in an athletes performance, recovery and overall health. Every batch of CMBT is tested and qualified by HASTA, a WADA banned substance testing authority, meaning professional athletes and consumers can feel comfortable that what they are putting in their body is safe and the product will perform the function it is designed to perform.
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NEXT SHOW: ETERNAL MMA 73 will take place at HBF Arena, Perth on February 11, 2023 and will feature an AustralianFlyweight bout between Australia’s No.1 ranked flyweight, Stephen Ecerg and international newcomer, Soichiro Hirai.For all event and ticketing information visit, EternalMMA/events
Australia’s No.1 MMA Promotion, Eternal MMA are pleased to announce their partnership with MMA Fight Store for 2023 events season.
The exclusive partnership with MMA Fight Store will see Australia’s leading combat sports retailer activate major rights that includes event merchandising activations, presenting rights to the Prep Point and digital execution across Eternal’s broadcast partnerships with UFC Fight Pass.
Cam O’Neill, Eternal MMA Director: “Eternal MMA have a long standing friendship with MMA Fight Store. Their growth in recent years is a byproduct of the success of combat sports in the ANZ region and we’re delighted to be in a position to support MMA Fight Stores national foot-print of retail stores and ecomm presence”.
Established in 2011, MMA Fight Store has grown to become Australia’s largest supplier of mixed martial arts products and has travelled the world to secure the most exclusive and recognisable brands. MMA Fight Store prides itself on an inviting atmosphere and access to staff with high-level product knowledge. Now with four retail stores (Perth, Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane) and a national online presence, MMA Fight Store continues to establish themselves as the premium supplier of all things MMA.
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NEXT SHOW: ETERNAL MMA 73 will take place at HBF Arena, Perth on February 11, 2023 and will feature an AustralianFlyweight bout bout between Australia’s No.1 ranked flyweight, Stephen Ecerg and top Japanese prospect, Soichiro Hirai.For all event and ticketing information visit, EternalMMA/events
Australia’s No.1 MMA Promotion, Eternal MMA are pleased to announce their partnership with, Proper No. Twelve Irishwhiskey has been renewed for 2023 events season.
The exclusive partnership with Proximo Spirits will see Eternal support the growth of Proper No. Twelve across the Australia and New Zealand region, with major rights that include octagon canvas branding, presenting rights to Corner-Cam digital assets via Eternal’s broadcast partnerships with UFC Fight Pass and ESPN, venue presenting rights of the exclusive Proper No. Twelve VIP Champions Club and the inclusion of the Proper No. Twelve Performance of the Night recipients.
Cam O’Neill, Eternal MMA Director: “Eternal MMA are very excited to renew this partnership with Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey. The inclusions of the Corner Cam and Performance of the Night rights further integrates the Proper No. Twelve and Eternal brands and supports Eternal in showcasing a better overall product to our fans and viewers.
Eternal MMA have continued their unprecedented growth and are Australia & New Zealand’s only legitimate national MMA promoter and will be promoting over ten (10) shows across Australia and New Zealand in 2023 and have featured some of the very best regional MMA talent, including UFC world champion prospects Casey O’Neill and Jack Della Maddalena and UFC newcomers in 2023, Jack Jenkins and Shannon Ross, who will feature on the UFC 284 card on February 12 in Perth at the RAC Arena.
Ben Vickers, Eternal MMA Director: “For Eternal to be in Partnership with Proper No. Twelve Irish Whisky is amazing. Eternal is built on hard work, passion and dedication. Joining forces with a whisky brand founded from the same values is exciting and we look forward to working closely with the Proper No. Twelve teams and watching both brands continue to grow in Australia”.
Proper No. Twelve combines all the attitude and values of the real Dublin within a balanced, smooth whiskey. Proper No. Twelve’s triple distilled Irish Whiskey is an ultra-smooth blend of golden grain and single malt with hints of vanilla, honey and toasted wood for a rich complexity, founded by Conor McGregor.
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NEXT SHOW: ETERNAL MMA 73 will take place at HBF Arena, Perth on February 11, 2023 and will feature an AustralianFlyweight bout bout between Australia’s No.1 ranked flyweight, Stephen Ecerg (8-1) and top Japanese prospect, Soichiro Hirai (4-1).For all event and ticketing information visit, EternalMMA/events
Eternal MMA sits down with Abdalla Biayda for a quick-fire Q&A ahead of his eighth professional fight at Eternal 73 against Alan Philpott.
Age:
27.
Where were you born:
I was born in a city in Sudan called Khartoum.
Where are you based now:
I live in Perth, Western Australia – in Bassendean near Morley
What gym do you train out of:
I train out of Kickass MMA in Morley.
Who are your coaches/main training partners.
The main team is (made up of) Steve Kennedy – the head coach. I also have a boxing coach – Bon. Also, my Muay Thai coach which is Oliver Olson. My strength and conditioning coach, that would be Luke Johnstone. Also, my Jiu Jitsu coach Scotty and my wrestling coach Tom Barnes.
Abdalla most recently picked up an impressive stoppage victory over Josh Kuhne at Eternal 72.
What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
I’m a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue-belt – that happened after my recent bout when I submitted Josh Kuhne. Because I’ve been doing Jiu-Jitsu for two or three years, I never thought I was going to get the blue-belt. But after that fight that were like “hey, you’re kind of ready”. So, I got it.
What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Believe it or not, I was terrible at all sports. I was no good at any sport. I am surprised that right now I am in a sport for a career. I was just terrible! I was just terrible at every single sport, so, I never tried. I did like basketball, but I was terrible at it. Now I’m in (MMA) as a career – life is weird.
When did you first decide to dedicate yourself to the sport of MMA:
After I won my first (professional) lightweight belt. I was just cruising with this career, to be honest. The reason why I stuck with it was because it really calmed my mind. When I started having a couple of bouts, started winning, started understanding myself, starting character building and started understanding about respect and discipline, it really worked for my mind. So, I just continued doing it. After I won my belt, I thought “I’m going to take this as far as I can”.
Favourite aspect of training:
I like doing ‘teeps’ in training. I do a lot of pad work with my Muay Thai coach. I realised it could be my ultimate weapon because of how long my legs are – they’re like spider legs!
Abdalla’s strengths lie in his cardio, and his length.
What do you consider to be your greatest strengths as a mixed martial artist:
I would say cardio. That helps me. I would say it’s my biggest strength.
What can fans expect to see from you when you step inside the cage:
I like throwing everything. I like being an artist. I like painting a painting. I like mixing it up, doing different things. But, in this fight, if he wants to grapple then you will see me grapple. But nobody has ever wanted to just grapple with me. They (usually) like to try and stand up with me, then they turn in to grapplers.
Can you compare your style to any high level mixed martial artist:
I would say Jon Jones and Rafael Fiziev. Also, Terrance Crawford’s boxing and switches. Put all three together, you got me.
Who would you consider to be some of your favourite combat sports athletes:
Rafael Fiziev and also Jonathan Haggerty from One Championship, I love his Muay Thai. I love that dude. (Also) DJ – Demetrious Johnson.
Which fight do you consider to be your standout performance so far:
I would say when I had my first (professional) lightweight fight. I was spot on with my striking, my movement, everything was just on point.
What are your goals for both the immediate and long-term future with mixed martial arts:
For my immediate future, my goal is to try a three-division champion in one promotion. It doesn’t matter what promotion it is; I don’t care. My long-term goal is to get into a big promotion like the UFC or any other promotions and try to be a three-division champion there as well.
Abdalla sees Triple Champ status in his future – no matter where he is.
How do you see yourself getting your hand raised at Eternal 73:
I don’t really envision those kinds of things. I don’t make predictions. I just go out there and give it my all and whatever happens, happens. If I fight hard, I know that good things will happen. But if I have to predict I’d say first round stoppage or knockout.
A message to the fans and your supporters:
All love, to be honest. My fans, people who have been supporting me, my friends, my family, the ones who have been with me from the start – I appreciate all of you. It’s just love. They have no idea how much I appreciate it.
Abdalla Biayda vs Alan Philpott for Eternal 73 can be viewed Saturday, February 11th live and exclusive on UFC Fight Pass. Fans can visit eternalmma.com to purchase tickets for Eternal 73.
