By Justin Chadwick
Hometown hero Steve Erceg faces a longer path back to a flyweight title bout after suffering a first-round knockout defeat to Kiwi Kai Kara-France at UFC 305 in Perth.
Erceg came close to winning the flyweight title in May when he pushed champion Alexandre Pantoja all the way in a five-round epic in Brazil.
That was only Erceg’s fourth UFC fight in what marked a meteoric start to his career in the big league.
But the 29-year-old was no match for No.4-ranked challenger Kara-France at a sold-out RAC Arena on Sunday.
Erceg was floored by a right-left combo from Kara-France with 66 seconds remaining in the first round.
Kara-France landed some more blows while his opponent was on the mat, and a powerful right punch dropped Erceg just seconds after the West Australian had gotten to his feet.
The referee rushed in to stop the bout, handing Kara-France the technical knockout.
Sunday’s bout marked Kara-France’s first fight in 14 months, given the New Zealander was forced to take an extended break to heal from concussion.
“Hats off to Steve. He’s a gentleman, he’s the man,” Kara-France said.
“I had to set it up, he’s smart. And then I went in for the finish.
“This is the statement I was talking about. I wanted my actions to be my voice.
“A year ago I had to take time away, to re-evaluate.
“But it’s the best thing in the world, kickboxing. This is what we love, this is what we do best.”
Earlier, Australian heavyweight Tai Tuivasa sank to his fifth straight defeat after losing to Jairzinho Rozenstruik by split decision.
Tuivasa got pummelled in the second round, but surprisingly one of the judges scored the three-round bout 30-27 to the Australian.
The other two judges scored the bout 30-27 and 29-28 to Rozenstruik, meaning Tuivasa hasn’t tasted victory in the octagon since February 2022.
In a bid to end the rot, Tuivasa had flown to Dubai to train for his latest fight, hoping the change in scenery would help him escape distractions such as his friends and the pub.
The opening round was a subdued affair, with neither fighter able to land any rattling blows.
The second round exploded to life with two minutes remaining when Rozenstruik pounced after Tuivasa hurt his leg while kicking.
Rozenstruik landed a series of heavy blows to leave Tuivasa bloodied and fighting for survival, but the Australian managed to swing back a few times to ensure he made it to the bell.
Tuivasa copped some more lusty blows in the third round, but his late flurry of punches in an attempt to score a knockout fell well short.
The headline act on Sunday is the middleweight title bout between champion Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.
Brazilian welterweight Carlos Prates scored a second-round knockout victory over China’s Li Jingliang to kick off the main card.
And New Zealander Dan Hooker scored an upset split-decision victory over the No.5-ranked lightweight challenger Mateusz Gamrot.
During the preliminary bouts, Australian Jack Jenkins defeated Herbert Burns by technical knockout in the third round of their featherweight bout.
But there was controversy in the heavyweight battle between Russian Valter Walker and Junior Tafa.
Walker won by a technical submission ankle lock in the dying seconds of the opening round after the referee apparently heard a verbal tap-out, but Australian Tafa was adamant he didn’t tap out.
Tafa confronted Walker and slapped him after the bout, before the pair were separated.
Ricardo Ramos defeated Australian Josh Culibao by split decision in their featherweight bout.
In the women’s flyweight battle, Casey O’Neill won by unanimous decision against Luana Santos.
AAP