Steve Erceg was halfway through a KFC meal when the phone rang.
It was his manager who let him know that the UFC wanted the Perth product to fight Brazilian Alexandre Pantoja for the world flyweight title.
Erceg only has three fights in the UFC. Facing the impressive Pantoja would be difficult anywhere, but doing so in Rio de Janeiro, in front of 20,000 fans clamoring for his blood, significantly increases the level of difficulty.
But Erceg did not hesitate. He accepted the fight, finished the KFC and got to work for the biggest fight of his life, coming up on Sunday afternoon (AEST) at UFC 301.
The 27-year-old is perhaps Australia’s most unlikely UFC title challenger, but he has a quiet confidence that has served him well during his meteoric rise and will prove crucial if he is to achieve the upset victory over Pantoja.
“There is a lot more media, a lot more of my ugly face on posters and billboards, which takes getting used to. But the confrontation, the fight itself, everything will be similar,” Erceg said.
“Part of this is because of how hard I work, I’m in the gym constantly, I rarely take vacations and I’ve been doing it for a long time.
“And like most fighters, I’m a little delusional: I have a strange belief in myself that other people don’t have. So far it’s served me well.
“If I lose my mind, I know my dad will put me back in my place. I’ve lost my mind in the past and he’s been very quick to help me realize that I’ve been an idiot.
“All the people still make fun of me like they always have, just like I make fun of them. Nothing has changed in my close-knit community.”
Erceg rose to prominence with a thunderous knockout of Matt Schnell in March that helped catapult him into a title fight.
He is only the sixth Australian to fight for a UFC title and aims to join Robert Whittaker and Alex Volkanovski as one of the few fighters from these shores to win championship gold.
Erceg’s rapid rise (he made his UFC debut less than a year ago) surprised even himself, but he always planned to find himself in this position eventually.
“I thought I’d fight some lower level guys first and work my way up, things happened quickly, faster than I expected,” Erceg said.
“But that doesn’t mean I’m not ready for it, I’ve been working very hard for a long time and I’m very excited to be in this position.
“It would be amazing to put my name up there with guys like them (the other Australian champions). You’ll get validation for all the hard work I’ve put in and the trust my team and teammates have had in me.
“Doing it for me, my family, my friends, my country, it will be incredible.”
Erceg enters the fight with Pantoja as the outsider with the Brazilian riding a five-fight winning streak and coming off an impressive title defense against Brandon Royval.
The atmosphere at the Arena Olímpica do Rio will be something to overcome on its own: Brazilian fans are known for their hostility towards foreign fighters, but Erceg not only welcomes the challenge, he is looking forward to it.
“You’ve seen crowds at UFC events in Brazil before and you wonder how you would perform under that pressure, with all the chanting and stuff,” Erceg said.
“It’s exciting, it’s the birthplace of the UFC, so coming here against a Brazilian, fighting for the belt, couldn’t be better.
“His resilience is very important. He can get tired in the second or third round and it seems like it’s over, but he keeps pushing. It’s hard not to respect that.”