LAS VEGAS – Minutes after his first UFC win, Clayton Carpenter set his sights on another.
A rising flyweight fighter out of the MMA Lab in Glendale, Ariz., Carpenter (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) defeated Juancamilo Ronderos (4-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in short order Saturday at UFC Fight Night 219, which took place at the UFC Apex.
Minutes later, a sunglasses-wearing Carpenter had his callout ready when he took the stage for his post-fight news conference and revealed he’d like to fight one of the newest members of the UFC roster.
“I think I want to call out Stephen Erceg,” Carpenter told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “He kind of got screwed … with getting his visa for the Dana White’s Contender Series fight (against me). After his last fight, he was calling me out, all cute. He’s just like, ‘I want Clayton.’ It was hilarious. I loved it. I’m down to roll him up and smoke him.”
Erceg and Carpenter were lined up to fight on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. The bout never materialized when Erceg encountered visa issues. Earlier this month, Erceg was offered a UFC contract after chief business officer Hunter Campbell and matchmaker Mick Maynard attended Eternal MMA 73, which he headlined.
The #UFC signed top flyweight prospect Stephen Erceg (9-1) after his win Friday in Perth, per Eternal MMA, a top Australian regional promotion that held the event.
Hunter Campbell and Mick Maynard were onsite and liked what they saw. pic.twitter.com/PNO5Ujhm8f
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) February 16, 2023
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 219.