Steve Erceg is looking forward to a striking battle with Kai Kara-France.
Erceg (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will face Kara-France (24-11 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC 305 on August 17 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at RAC Arena in Perth.
Erceg is fresh off losing his flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in May, and the Perth native acknowledges Kara-France's strength but believes he has the more powerful fight in the stand-up division.
“I think he's very dangerous, but I think I'm a little bit more dynamic,” Erceg told Submission Radio. “I avoid certain weapons of his and I think I have more ways to win in the stand-up.”
Kara-France has 11 knockouts to his name, including a knockout over former champion Cody Garbrandt, and fighting Erceg is a dream come true for him. He said he considers Erceg a great dance partner, and the former title challenger agrees.
“We're going to kill each other from the first gong and I'm going to try to knock him out,” Erceg said.
Although the match against Pantoja was close, Erceg knows he needs to work a little harder to have another chance at the title.
“I think I'm in the top five in the rankings,” Erceg said of his chances of winning. “I don't think I'll be given a chance (for a title fight) anytime soon. I think it's still a few fights away because he (Pantoja) has had so many rematches and there are so many exciting fights for him in this division right now. But I think I've at least prepared well for the next few fights.”
For more details on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 305 event hub.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie
