Steve Erceg and Muhammad Mokaev won’t be sharing holiday cards anytime soon.
Like the rest of the MMA world, Erceg didn’t expect to see his former fellow UFC flyweight contender part ways with the promotion after a unanimous decision win over Manel Kape in July 2024. Had it not been for Mokaev’s approach to the situation and dealings behind the scenes, Erceg might have had more sympathy — when asked for his initial thoughts on the situation this past summer, Erceg responded by saying Mokaev “did it to himself.” Mokaev was none too pleased after hearing what “Astro Boy” had to say, prompting a brief direct message (DM) exchange on social media.
“I was shocked that he got cut,” Erceg said on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” ahead of his UFC Mexico City main event against Brandon Moreno. “Obviously, being undefeated, you’d think that’s enough to stay in the UFC. But yeah, I don’t know, I didn’t like the way he interacted with people around him, and he’s messaged me since. I’m thinking more and more that he’s a massive knob, so I don’t care.
“He seemed like a privileged diva, I guess. Like, ‘Everything has to be done the way I want it, I don’t care if that’s not how it’s done.’ I don’t know. It was surprising because you would think somebody that grew up the way he grew up would be a little bit more humble and that sort of thing, but he just seemed like, ‘I’m the guy you work around.’ He seemed like a douche.”
Erceg claimed the DMs came roughly one year ago, with Mokaev calling him a liar.
The undefeated Mokaev didn’t do himself many favors toward the end of his UFC contract. His rivalry with Kape resulted in multiple altercations outside the Octagon before the fight, including one that involved a fake selfie and a sucker punch — what Erceg referred to as a “king hit” in Australian slang.
If Mokaev’s antics and interactions weren’t enough to rub Erceg the wrong way, fuel was added to the fire after Erceg’s most recent fight — a tough first-round loss to Kai Kara-France in August 2024.
“I make a very clear point not to lie in my life,” Erceg said. “Obviously, people do screw up sometimes, but I try to be very honest with people about things, and yeah, he said it didn’t happen. I don’t disagree that he probably didn’t recognize that he was being like that because he’s a diva.
“After I got knocked out, obviously, he messaged me and asked me if I woke up. There you go. Good on him. Nice guy.
“Another thing, who gets into a street fight with somebody, then goes, ‘Ah, let’s squash the beef and take a photo,’ then king hits him,” he added. “That’s like the most dog thing I’ve ever heard in my life. What he did to Kape was disgraceful. If you’re going to do it, who cares, but go face-to-face. Do it like a man. I don’t know. It was disgusting.”
Mokaev still hopes to return to the UFC one day. He won his lone fight outside the promotion since his departure, submitting Joevincent So in a December bout with Brave CF.
It didn’t take long for Mokaev to respond to Erceg’s comments on Tuesday.
I won’t say much but Karma will get you for all those lies
You already got KOd, hope Moreno will KO you too
Btw when he fought against Mat Schnell I came to you and said all the best to you, when you fought for the belt I tweeter 2-3 times and wish you the best but when I got cut you started lying about me to get attention
A potential matchup against the one-time title challenger Erceg could’ve been a real possibility for Mokaev had he stuck around to continue his UFC career. If Mokaev ever does find his way back to the promotion, Erceg is more than happy to roll out the welcome mat for the brash Dagestani.
“I’d love to slap him around, 100%,” Erceg said. “I assume that if I ever went to London, and he saw me in the street, I’d assume he’d try to king hit me. So I’m ready for whatever nonsense he wants to generate.”
While the Mokaev fight is a fun theater, Erceg has bigger opportunities to worry about to kick off his 2025 campaign.
“Astro Boy” launched to the top of the 125-pound division quicker than expected when he earned a title shot against UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja only three wins into his promotional run. Unfortunately for the Aussie, he lost that fight via a hard-fought unanimous decision in early 2024.
Next on the docket for Erceg is a UFC Mexico City main event this Saturday, opposite the former two-time UFC champion Brandon Moreno. Moments like these still require a pinch for Erceg. Despite believing in his talent, it remains a bizarre realization for him to know he’s made it to the division’s elite.
“I did a face off with Moreno yesterday, and I said to him, ‘Man, it’s so weird. I’ve been watching you on TV for so long, now I’m standing in front of you ready to fight.’ It just doesn’t feel real sometimes,” Erceg said.
“I do think I belong, I just don’t want to lose that whole ‘excited to be around the sport and excited to get all these opportunities’ and stuff. I feel like if I start thinking that, ‘Oh yeah, I’m the man,’ I might lose something and become less relatable, perhaps.”
Considering the state of the division, a win for either half of UFC Mexico City’s main event would be huge. Pantoja has taken out nearly every ranked opponent, and either fighter staking a claim to another title shot would mean a Pantoja rematch.
Erceg will cross that bridge when it comes to him. Until then, he’s embracing the moment ahead of his big clash with Moreno.
“I am not a person that usually gets excited as soon as they get a call about a fight,” Erceg said. “Usually, the first emotion is nerves, and then I might get excited after. But I don’t know what it was, but I wasn’t even nervous when I got called [to fight Moreno]. I got nervous later, but I was just so excited. Fighting in Mexico against Brandon Moreno is like a dream fight.
“I was definitely surprised [to get him]. I expected somebody like Asu [Almabayev], somebody in the top 10, top 15, certainly lower down. So it was a shock, but a happy shock.”
