Who is Steve Erceg? Here is everything important you should know about one-half of UFC 301's main event

Here's what you need to know about Steve Erceg ahead of his first UFC title shot.

The man known as 'Astro Boy' is still largely an unknown fighter to most fans. However, Erceg will get the chance to headline UFC 301 next month in Brazil. In the main event of the card, he will face the dominant flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja.

The fight announcement largely came out of nowhere last month. That's because Erceg is still very young in his MMA career. The Australian started his career in 2016, having become a fan of the sport thanks to Brock Lesnar. Standing at 5'8", Erceg decided to start competing at 125 pounds.

After winning his debut, Erceg lost his second trip to the cage in 2017. However, after that loss to Sean Gauci, the flyweight went on a tear and amassed an eight-fight winning streak. He even won the Eternal MMA 125-pound championship.

That winning streak was enough for Erceg to sign to the UFC in 2023. In his debut last June, he scored a unanimous decision victory over David Dvorak. He then followed it up with another win on the scorecards against Alessandro Costa last November.

In March, Erceg earned the title shot with a second-round knockout victory over Matt Schnell. The three-fight-winning streak in UFC was enough for the 27-year-old to get the shot at Pantoja next month. The Australian now has the chance to win four fights in less than a year and become champion.

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Is Steve Erceg expected to defeat Alexandre Pantoja? UFC 301 betting odds explained

Steve Erceg is currently a heavy underdog to Alexandre Pantoja.

While 'Astro Boy' has impressed fans to this point, he's not expected to win UFC gold next month. According to the current betting odds from MGM, the flyweight champion is a heavy favorite for the pay-per-view headliner.

As of now, Pantoja is a -250 favorite according to MGM. Erceg returns as a substantial +200 underdog. While the odds could change a little bit between now and fight night, it seems that the Australian will enter the cage as an underdog.

Then again, if there's anyone who could shock the odds, it would be 'Astro Boy'. While Erceg doesn't have a lot of experience at the top level, he's impressed fans in each outing thus far.