Tomorrow night in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 109, we are going to see a fun matchup in the flyweight division. 10th ranked contender and former title challenger Steve Erceg (12-4) will look to get back on track as he takes on dangerous striker Ode Osbourne (13-8).
Erceg was originally supposed to face Hyun Sung Park tomorrow night, but when Amir Albazi fell out of UFC Vegas 108, the promotion moved Park to that main event against Tatsuro Taira. They called Ode Osbourne about stepping up to face Erceg and he accepted the fight. Osbourne is coming off a knockout win over Luis Gurule which snapped a three-fight losing streak.
Speaking of three-fight losing streaks, that’s where Steve Erceg finds himself heading into UFC Vegas 109. It’s crazy how quickly things can change in MMA. Back in May of last year, Erceg was entering the fifth and final round against Alexandre Pantoja with two of the judges having the fight tied. Had he stuck to striking, he might’ve won the title that night.
He chose to try and grapple Pantoja for some odd reason and Pantoja dominated the grappling exchange leading to his decision win. Following that, Erceg was knocked out by Kai Kara-France and then he lost a decision to Brandon Moreno back in March. He’s in desperate need of a victory tomorrow night.
UFC Vegas 109 Prediction
Steve Erceg is the better overall fighter and I don’t think it’s that close. However, this fight is ultimately going to come down to what kind of game plan Steve Erceg comes in with. Ode Osbourne is incredibly fast and powerful on the feet. Erceg seems to fall in love with striking which could ultimately be his downfall here.
Erceg needs to come in and mix things up using his striking to setup takedowns and using his takedown attempts to open things up on the feet. If he does that, I think he can easily win a decision. However, if his striking ego says to stand with Osbourne at UFC Vegas 109, he could easily get stopped for his fourth straight loss. I’m going to say that he’ll fight smart and mix things up which should lead to a comfortable decision for him tomorrow night.
Prediction: Steve Erceg by Decision
More about: MMA
