Former UFC flyweight title contender Steve Erceg concedes another loss could cost him his contract
Erceg (12-4) was a decision away from becoming the first UFC champion in WA history a year ago.
The loss to champion Alexandre Pantoja became the first in three consecutive defeats for the 29-year-old, with defeats to Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno also on his cards.
Erceg will now step into the octagon looking to turn his fortunes around when he takes on Alex Perez (25-9) as part of the card of the UFC Fight UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Hernandez at the Apex Centre on August 10.
Asked if he was nervous that a defeat to Perez could cost him a place in the UFC, an honest Erceg said: 'Of course'.
'My goal was never just to get to the UFC and compete there and be happy. My goal's always been to be the best in the world so it would be devastating to lose my spot,' Erceg told The West Australian.
'The dream is scary, and I am lucky enough that I get to do it so I'm happy to go out there and do my thing and find out if I deserve to be here or not.'
Erceg put his string of defeats down to giving his opponents 'too much respect', a mistake he's not going to make against Perez.
'I've been giving the last three opponents too much respect. I've looked at them like they're the best in the world and almost like they're better than me in some respect,' he said.
'After going in there and losing and feeling the level, (I realised) they don't know anything I don't know. They're not fitter than I am or anything like that.
'I just have to go out there and do what I do and stop giving them that extra credit which for some reason I've been giving too them.'
Erceg is known renowned one of the best technical fighters in the flyweight division, but he plans to loosen up this camp to get the better of Perez.
'I've been working on getting a little bit less technical,' he said.
'Sometimes I get a little bit caught up in being perfect all the time. I don't have to be perfect.
'If you get too focused on the perfect technique in every circumstance you're going to miss opportunities. I'm going to go out there and I'm going to fight to the best of my abilities and if it looks a little bit ugly sometimes it doesn't matter.'
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