Australian UFC star Steve Erceg has a lot to prove again and the next step to that is finally turning Perth's RAC Arena into a happy place.
Erceg enjoyed a meteoric rise at the start of his UFC career, coming within a whisker of snaring the flyweight belt in what was just his fourth fight at the level.
That tight loss to Alexandre Pantoja in Brazil sparked a three-fight losing run, with Erceg's scratchy win over Ode Osbourne in August last year helping to stem the bleeding but in no way making a big statement.
Erceg, the No.12-ranked challenger in the flyweight division, will be back in action on Saturday night in his hometown of Perth when he faces American Tim Elliott (ranked 11th).
But even if Erceg can produce a win that blows the crowd away, he knows there's a long and winding road to get another crack at the title.
"That's very unlikely to be back in the title mix immediately," Erceg said.
"I think I've got at least three or four fights to prove myself ... especially because of the parity at the moment in the division.
"So I'm not looking at one big statement. I'm looking at good performances and stacking them up and then leaving no doubt that I should be there again."
Erceg's most recent fight in Perth ended in disaster - a round-one knockout loss to Kai Kara-France in 2024.
The 30-year-old wants to create some happy memories at RAC Arena this time around.
"The only time I think about it is when I'll be there in person for whatever reason, I'll walk past RAC Arena and look down and be disappointed at myself," Erceg said.
"I always say I need to fight back there and change it. So that's what we're going to do this time."
Erceg (13-4) has made one major change leading into his hometown fight this time around - staying in a hotel rather than at home.
And it's just as well for his family.
"I'm a lot more short with my family than I am other weeks," Erceg said of his fight-week preparations.
"I thought I was hiding it pretty well, but apparently my mum didn't think so. I'm a lot more irritable."
