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Clayton Carpenter wants Steve Erceg next after UFC Fight Night 244 submission

matt erickson, ken hathaway
·2-min read
Clayton Carpenter
Clayton Carpenter

LAS VEGAS – Clayton Carpenter beat Lucas Rocha with a second-round technical submission Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 244 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Carpenter, who stayed unbeaten in his return after a 20-month layoff and called out recent flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg for his next test.

Clayton Carpenter def. Lucas Rocha

Result: Clayton Carpenter def. Lucas Rocha via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:12

Updated records: Carpenter (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Rocha (17-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)

Key stats: Carpenter has four of his past five wins by stoppage, including back-to-back rear-naked chokes.

Carpenter on the fight's key moment

Clayton Carpenter def. Lucas Rocha, UFC Fight Night 244
Clayton Carpenter def. Lucas Rocha, UFC Fight Night 244

"As soon as I took the back, I felt like it was pretty sunk already before it was really under his chin. It took me a second to really get my second hand involved. I was trying to choke him out with one arm. I wanted to 'Nate Diaz' him – I wanted to choke him out with one arm like Nate Diaz and try to get the $50K (bonus), but I was like, I'll probably just stick to the finish."

Carpenter on his layoff and Steve Erceg

May 4, 2024; Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BRAZIL; Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) fights against Steve Erceg (blue gloves) during UFC 301 at Rio Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2024; Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BRAZIL; Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) fights against Steve Erceg (blue gloves) during UFC 301 at Rio Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

"It was the roughest sh*t ever. I mean, I could give two f*cks if people forgot about me. But for me, it was bullsh*t. It felt like the biggest c*ck block of my life: I get in here, first-round sub, win my (UFC) debut, the next thing you know, I'm out. And I was supposed to fight f*cking Stephen Erceg. I was all hyped. He was ducking me the first few times, ducking me on (Dana White's Contender Series) and postponed our second fight (booking). It was after that postponed that I had my stuff happen to me (and I was out)."

Carpenter on what he wants next

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Clayton Carpenter punches Lucas Rocha of Brazil in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Clayton Carpenter punches Lucas Rocha of Brazil in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

"I'm going to talk to my coaches about that. I dealt with some adversity in this fight camp that I had to power through. I'm going to talk to my manager and talk with my generals and see what the best decision on that is. I am counting the days (for Erceg) ... counting the days. (I) can't wait"

To hear more from Carpenter, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

UFC Fight Night 244: Best photos from Las Vegas

UFC Fight Night 244: Official scorecards from Las Vegas

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Clayton Carpenter wants Steve Erceg next after UFC Fight Night 244 submission