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Rising UFC star Steve Erceg has opened up on the 'blunder' that cost him the flyweight belt, but says anyone who thinks he sucks can tell it to his face - in the cage.
Erceg's battle with undisputed flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in Brazil on Sunday was in the balance after four rounds.
Up until that point, Erceg had controlled the bout when it was on the feet, but Pantoja had the edge when it came to grappling.
Erceg entered the fifth and final round thinking he needed to finish Pantoja in order to be crowned the winner.
West Aussie Steve Erceg has spoken about the 'blunder' that cost him the flyweight belt
Erceg just needed to win the 5th round, but instead opted for a costly takedown thinking he needed to finish his opponent
In reality, Erceg just needed to win the fifth round on points to come out victorious.
Erceg's decision to twice go for a take-down in the fifth round proved to be his undoing, with Pantoja able to take advantage of the situation to ground out the victory.
The judges scored the bout 48-47, 48-47, 49-46.
'Obviously hindsight is 20/20,' Erceg told AAP on Monday.
'I was winning on the feet. But I thought if I gave him the opportunity
