Most people did not know who Steve Erceg was in February this year. In August, he is one of the Flyweight fan favorites and continues to prove that he is the real deal. He will fight for the third time in five months this Saturday. Here is our Kara-France vs Erceg prediction.
Kara-France vs Erceg Prediction: Can Kai Handle the “Astro Boy”?
Kai Kara-France Preview
Kai Kara-France, a 31-year-old fighter from New Zealand, has long been one of the most entertaining guys to watch because of his explosive style and knockout power. Kara-France is known for his fast, accurate strikes and his ability to dictate the pace against any opponent.
With a record of 24-11-0 with 11 knockouts, he has earned a reputation as a dangerous striker. However, his last two fights had disappointing results, with a split decision loss to Amir Albazi and a stoppage loss to Brandon Moreno in an interim title fight.
Despite his strengths, he has weaknesses that show up when fighting against elite wrestlers. Kara-France often finds himself in awkward situations against such opponents, as demonstrated by his past losses to Brandon Royval and Moreno.
He needs to improve his takedown defense and develop his wrestling to be ready for more versatile fighters like Erceg. He last fought over a year ago, so we may in fact see a new and improved Kai. But before we can give our Kara-France vs Erceg prediction, we have to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent.
Steve Erceg Preview
Steve Erceg, a 29-year-old Australian, has quickly established himself as one of the most promising fighters in the flyweight division. He joined the promotion in mid-2023 and literally did a speedrun of the division. He won three in a row and fought for the Flyweight belt in May 2024, losing by unanimous decision.
With a record of 12-2-0, Erceg is known for his versatility. He is equally comfortable with striking and on the ground, making him an extremely difficult opponent to face. Having made his UFC debut just over a year ago, Steve has already defeated serious fighters like David Dvorak and Alessandro Costa.
He was the #10 ranked fighter when he was given the title shot, which was shocking to most, but Erceg actually fought the champion almost like an equal. He will earn a new title shot sooner or later.
Erceg’s main asset is his grappling, which he skillfully combines with his striking. His takedown accuracy is not impressive but we should note that he lands 50% of his significant strike attempts. However, he has yet to prove that he can consistently win at the highest level, especially against more experienced opponents like Kara-France.
Our Kai Kara-France vs Steve Erceg Prediction: Erceg is the Real Deal
After a strong performance in the fight with Pantoja, bookmakers rate Erceg’s capabilities very highly. Indeed, many factors are on his side. He feels good on his feet, has excellent grappling, and also has the size advantage over Kara-France.
Steve Erceg will likely try to impose his game, actively closing the distance and trying to take the fight to the ground. His goal is to prevent Kara-France from getting comfortable in the stand-up and force the New Zealander to fight on the ground, where Steve will have a clear advantage.
Kai will need to focus on controlling the distance and avoiding close contact to maintain his chances of winning. Unfortunately, we have to side with the Australian for our Kara-France vs Erceg prediction.
Erceg is more versatile and already showing signs that he is close to the best in the division. Kara-France has lost almost all of his high-profile fights and always has problems against wrestlers. We expect Steve to win but we also envision the fight to go the distance. This means that you can also either combine the two markets or simply focus on the decision win at better odds.
