Brandon Moreno vs Steve Erceg Preview & Picks
Brandon Moreno is tipped to win this UFC Fight Night main event by knockout.
Moreno has a major edge in the stand-up and can use his kickboxing skills to piece up Steve Erceg and knock him out.
- 3 of Brandon Moreno’s last 5 wins have been by TKO
- 4 of Brandon Moreno’s last 5 victories have come via stoppage
- Steve Erceg was knocked out in his most recent fight
- Steve Erceg has lost back-to-back fights against top-5 ranked fighters
Brandon Moreno Form
Brandon Moreno is a former two-time UFC flyweight champion and the current #2 ranked contender with a career record of 22-8 (5 KOs, 11 Subs) with 2 draws.
Moreno signed with the UFC in 2016 and made a flying start as he won his first three fights, but his stint the promotion proved to be brief.
That win streak was ended by unanimous decision defeats to Sergio Pettis and Alexandre Pantoja, and following those losses he was cut by UFC officials in 2018.
The 31-year-old quickly returned to winning ways on the minor MMA scene, and just over 12 months after being released he re-signed with the UFC.
Moreno’s return fight ended in a split decision draw with Askar Askarov, but he soon found some form and reeled off three consecutive wins to surge into title contention.
He beat Kai Kara-France and Jussier Formiga by unamimous decision, and then earned a shot at the flyweight crown when he knocked out Brandon Royval in the first round.
‘The Assassin Baby’ went to a majority draw in his title fight with Deiveson Figueiredo, but in the immediate rematch he claimed the flyweight crown with a third-round submission of the champion.
Moreno surrendered the belt back to Figueiredo in the trilogy fight, via decision, but quickly rebounded to claim the interim crown with a third-round knockout of Kai Kara-France.
That set up a fourth showdown with Figueiredo, and he the Mexican was able to settle that rivalry once and for all with a third-round TKO victory.
His second reign proved to be brief though, as he dropped a split decision to Alexandre Pantoja, and he then suffered a split decision defeat at the hands of Brandon Royval too.
Moreno got back on track last November though, earning a decision win over Amir Albazi.
Steve Erceg Form
Steve Erceg is the #8 ranked contender in the flyweight division with a professional record of 12-3 (2 KOs, 6 Subs).
Erceg joined the UFC in 2023 after a successful stint fighting on the domestic scene in Australia, and he made an immediate impact with three straight wins.
He debuted with a unanimous decision win over David Dvorak, and backed that up with a points success against Alessandro Costa.
The 29-year-old Australian then took his UFC win streak to three-in-a-row with a second-round knockout of Matt Schnell, earning himself a shot at the flyweight crown.
Erceg was unable to take his big opportunity however, as he lost to Alexandre Pantoja by split decision last May.
That became back-to-back defeats for ‘Astro Boy’ in August, as he was knocked out in the opening round by Kai Kara-France.