Erceg, Pedro and McLaren fall as Eternal 108 looms

Australian fighters Steve Erceg, Tyson Pedro and Reece McLaren were all stopped in the opening round abroad during a difficult week of results across the UFC, PFL and UAE Warriors.

Episode 17 of Australian MMA’s Last Week Today reviews each loss before looking ahead to important assignments for Sean Gauci and Navajo Stirling, as well as a prospect-heavy Eternal MMA 108 card on the Gold Coast.

Watch the full Last Week Today episode for the complete discussion: [ADD VIDEO LINK].

Three first-round setbacks abroad

McLaren challenged Asaf Chopurov for the UAE Warriors bantamweight championship at UAE Warriors 72 in Abu Dhabi. Chopurov retained the title by stopping the Australian 63 seconds into the contest, according to the official UAE Warriors result.

The result ended McLaren’s opportunity to add another major accomplishment to a career that has included extensive experience competing internationally.

Pedro was also stopped in the first round, with Rafael Xavier securing a late stoppage in their light heavyweight contest at PFL Washington D.C. The PFL’s official highlight confirmed Xavier’s victory after a competitive opening round.

At UFC Abu Dhabi, Erceg faced Ramazan Temirov in a flyweight bout. Temirov landed the decisive right hand late in the opening round, with the UFC recording the stoppage at 4:21.

All three Australians faced difficult opposition, but the speed of the defeats made it an especially unforgiving weekend for local MMA supporters.

Sean Gauci and Navajo Stirling face major tests

Attention now turns to Sean Gauci, who meets Allan Begosso at PFL New York on Friday, July 31.

Gauci enters the contest after defeating Liam Gittins by unanimous decision at PFL Belfast. His official PFL profile lists the Begosso fight as his next opportunity to build momentum within the promotion.

Navajo Stirling then faces former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz at UFC Belgrade on August 1. The bout is listed as the co-main event on the official UFC event page.

According to the episode, Stirling accepted the assignment on approximately one week’s notice. It is a considerable step up for the unbeaten New Zealander, who will be facing the most experienced opponent of his professional career.

The episode presents Stirling as one of the region’s leading prospects while recognising the risks involved in meeting a proven former champion with limited preparation time.

Eternal MMA 108 brings the focus home

Australia’s domestic schedule continues with Eternal MMA 108 at Southport Sharks in Queensland on August 1.

The event is headlined by a rematch between Tasar Malone and Justin Van Heerden. Malone won their first meeting at Eternal MMA 96, setting up a five-round return contest between two familiar featherweight rivals.

The official Eternal MMA event listing has the card beginning at 5.30pm and streaming through UFC Fight Pass.

Other scheduled match-ups discussed in the episode include Christian Lapham against Luke Stokman, Ayden Todoroff against Declan Corcoran, and Nima Behrouz against Nikita Laptsevich.

Dom Aston and Chris Power begin their professional careers

Australian MMA’s Mitchell Tinley selected Dom Aston versus Chris Power as his fight to watch at Eternal MMA 108.

Both featherweights are moving out of the amateur ranks and making their professional debuts. Their pairing offers an early test for two fighters who have developed strong reputations on the domestic amateur circuit.

The episode places Aston and Power within an emerging group of Australian prospects beginning to make the transition into professional competition. While their long-term trajectories remain to be determined, matching them immediately creates an intriguing contest and gives local followers a reason to watch the card beyond its established names.

Watch the complete episode for the full results review, upcoming-fight analysis and Eternal MMA 108 preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCfNWUBSytE&t=18s

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