UFC 295 Prelims: Flyweight Steve Erceg Extends Winning Streak to 10 Fights in New York

Steve Erceg passed his first serious test in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The 28-year-old Australian operated behind efficient standup and a tactical clinch game, as he was awarded a unanimous verdict over Alessandro Costa in their featured UFC 295 flyweight prelim on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Erceg (11-1, 2-0 UFC), who has now strung together 10 straight victories.

Costa (13-4, 1-2 UFC) made his presence known in the middle stanza, where he mucked up the proceedings, turned it into a brawl and rocked the onetime Eternal MMA champion with a series of sweeping right hooks. Erceg withstood those efforts, lured him into the clinch in the third round, chewed up valuable time and piled up points while staying out of danger in tight spaces.

Meanwhile, former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Lupita Godinez became the first female fighter to post four wins in a calendar year, as she outworked Tabatha Ricci to a split decision in a three-round women’s strawweight battle. Judge Bryan Miner saw it 30-27 for Ricci, while Sal D’Amato and Derek Cleary scored it 29-28 for Godinez.

Ricci (9-2, 4-2 UFC) picked her spots from the outside and dropped the Lobo Gym product with a left hook in the first round. However, she spent too much time and effort throwing in single strikes. Godinez (12-3, 7-3 UFC) punched effectively in combination, remained the busier of the two competitors throughout the 15-minute bout, called upon bulletproof takedown defense and held off a late surge from the Brazilian.

The setback snapped a four-fight winning streak for Ricci.

Elsewhere, Berserker’s Team standout Mateusz Rebecki disposed of fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alum Roosevelt Roberts with an armbar in the first round of their lightweight altercation. A short-notice replacement for Nurullo Aliev, Roberts (12-4, 4-4 UFC) conceded defeat 3:08 into Round 1.

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The 31-year-old Rebecki (19-1, 3-0 UFC) marched forward behind leg kicks and winging power punches, executed a takedown inside the first minute and eventually scrambled to the back. From there, he shifted his hips and caught the armbar from the bottom. Roberts, who missed weight for the assignment by two pounds, tried and failed to extricate himself from the situation, then verbally submitted.

Rebecki has rattled off 16 consecutive victories.

Further down the undercard, Kill Cliff Fight Club export Jared Gordon took care of 2016 Olympic silver medalist Mark O. Madsen with punches in the first round of their lightweight confrontation. Gordon (20-6, 8-5 UFC) brought it to a close 4:42 into Round 1.

Madsen (12-2, 4-2 UFC) lost his way after controlling much of the match with a punishing clinch. A short-range uppercut appeared to buckle his knees and forced him to backpedal into the cage. Gordon connected with a standing elbow, then decked the Dan with a right hand over the top. A volley of punches followed, necessitating the stoppage.

The 39-year-old Madsen has suffered back-to-back losses after starting his career 12-0.

Finally, Jamall Emmers put down former Ring of Combat champion Dennis Buzukja with punches in the first round of their featherweight pairing. The 26-year-old Buzukja (11-4, 0-2 UFC) succumbed to blows 49 seconds into Round 1.

Emmers (20-7, 3-3 UFC)—who missed weight for the match by one pound—slammed a pair of kicks into the Longo-Weidman MMA rep’s lead leg before firing straight punches to the body and head. Buzukja retreated to the fence, unwittingly cutting himself off from escape. Emmers then floored him with a right hand, pursued him to the canvas and drew the curtain with a series of unanswered hammerfists.

It was the third sub-minute finish of Emmers’ career.

In other action, Viacheslav Borshchev (7-3-1, 2-2-1 UFC) fought to a majority draw—29-28, 28-28, 28-28—with Nazim Sadykhov (9-1-1, 2-0-1 UFC) in a three-round lightweight scrap; John Castaneda (21-6, 4-2 UFC) leaned on a multi-pronged attack that included multiple takedowns and laid claim to a unanimous verdict against former Road Fighting Championship titlist Kyung Ho Kang (19-10, 8-4) in a three-round bantamweight affair, sweeping the cards with 30-27 scores across the board; and former Fury Fighting Championship titleholder Joshua Van (9-1, 2-0 UFC) rode body-snatching power punches from both hands to a unanimous decision over Kevin Borjas (9-2, 0-1 UFC) in a three-round flyweight tilt, drawing 29-28 marks from all three cageside judges.