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Steve Erceg weathered an early storm and secured a big win over Ode Osbourne in the UFC Vegas 109 co-main event on Saturday night.
Osbourne’s speed proved to be a problem for Erceg. That became very apparent near the halfway point of the open round when ‘The Jamaican Sensation’ landed a lightning-fast right hook that forced Erceg to take a knee near the fence. Smelling blood in the water, Obsourne turned up the heat, looking for an early finish.
Erceg survived the onslaught and momentarily took Obsourne’s back during a scramble, but the one-time title challenger was content to simply hang on and make it back to his stool.
Erceg fared much better in the second stanza, shooting in for multiple takedown attempts as a means of mitigating Obsourne’s explosive offense.
Astroboy’ finally got his first takedown near the halfway point of the third, settling into Osbourne’s half guard. Before long, Erceg moved into full mount, prompting Osbourne to give up his back in defense. Softening up his opponent with some ground and pound, Erceg nearly cinched in a rear-naked choke in the closing seconds of the fight, but the Kingston native ultimately survived the onslaught, sending us to the scorecards.
Official Result: Steve Erceg def. Ode Osbourne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
