UFC 289: Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana keeps it moving on the prelims in the men's flyweight division when David Dvorak takes on short-notice newcomer Steve Erceg. Dvorak is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his career meanwhile, Erceg is coming into his UFC debut on the heels of eight straight wins. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Dvorak-Erceg prediction and pick.
David Dvorak (20-5) was once on a 15-fight winning streak until he got a step up in competition when he took on Matheus Nicolau and Manel Kape. He was originally scheduled to face off against Matt Schnell but unfortunately, he had to withdraw and is now taking on promotional newcomer Steve Erceg on two weeks' notice.
Steve Erceg (9-1) is the No. 1 flyweight in Australia and New Zealand and was the former Eternal MMA flyweight champion. He was originally scheduled to fight Clayton Carpenter a few weeks ago but Carpenter pulled out just before the fight. Erceg will be looking to put his name on the map with the biggest win of his career when he takes on David Dvorak this Saturday at UFC 289.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC 289 Odds: David Dvorak-Steve Erceg Odds
David Dvorak: -280
Steve Erceg: +220
Over 2.5 Rounds: -172
Under 2.5 Round: +134
UFC 289: How to Watch David Dvorak vs. Steve Erceg
TV: UFC Fight Pass
Stream: UFC Fight Pass
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/ 4:00 p.m. PT (Early Prelims)
Why David Dvorak Will Win
David Dvorak looked like a true contender when he came into the UFC when he rattled off three straight wins. He hit a roadblock once he started to fight the upper echelon of the flyweight division. In his time in the UFC, he has shown heavy hands on the feet mixed in with some good grappling as we saw in his fight against Juancamilo Ronderos.
His opponent Steve Erceg is a very dangerous opponent, especially when fighting him on such short notice. He is a very good ground fighter with counter-striking capabilities on the feet. With that said, if Dvorak is able to extend this fight outside round 1 his chances increase mightily. If he is able to make Erceg work early and weather that early storm he should be able to get back on track.
Why Steve Erceg Will Win
Steve Erceg has been on the UFC's radar for a while now as he was wreaking havoc over in Australia and New Zealand for the majority of his MMA career. He is exceptionally tall and long for the division at 5'9″ with a 68.5″ he will have an advantage in height (4″) and reach (1.5″).
Erceg is exceptionally dangerous when the fight hits the mat with six of his nine wins coming by way of submission. Also, four of his last five wins have come in the very first round making him even more dangerous in the early goings. If Erceg can surprise Dvorak and overwhelm him early in this fight we could see Erceg make a big splash in this flyweight division.
Final David Dvorak-Steve Erceg Prediction & Pick
Steve Erceg is a fine addition to the flyweight division in the UFC and he is going to be extremely dangerous in this matchup early on. Unfortunately for him, Dvorak has exceptional submission defense and is tough as nails as we saw in that Manel Kape fight. Ultimately, things are interesting early on until Dvorak pulls away late and either gets the late stoppage or unanimous decision victory.
Final David Dvorak-Steve Erceg Prediction & Pick: David Dvorak (-280), Over 2.5 Rounds (-172)