5 Defining Moments: Julian Erosa

Julian Erosa understands his role as a competent mid-card veteran with a penchant for violence and plays it to the best of his ability in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The Xtreme Couture featherweight will toe the line against Melquizael Costa in a featured UFC Fight Night 256 attraction this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Erosa, 35, enters the cage on the strength of a three consecutive victories, all of them finishes inside one round. He last competed at UFC 314, where he disposed of Darren Elkins with punches in the first round of their April 12 encounter. Twenty-six of the Dana White’s Contender Series alum’s 31 career wins have come by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

As Erosa approaches his forthcoming battle with Costa at 145 pounds, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. At First Glance

Erosa made a successful Octagon debut with a split decision over Marcin Wrzosek in a three-round lightweight showcase as part of “The Ultimate Fighter 22” Finale on Dec. 11, 2015 at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Derek Cleary for Wrzosek, Sal D’Amato and Dave Hagen for Erosa. Wrzosek employed a clinch-heavy attack and delivered three second-round takedowns but ran out of gas down the stretch. Erosa made his move in the third, where he cracked the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship veteran with a pair of flying knees, landed two takedowns of his own and separated himself in the eyes of two of the three judges.

2. Short Leash

Team Alpha Male’s Teruto Ishihara punched out Erosa in the second round of their UFC 196 featherweight prelim on March 5, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Referee Chris Tognoni waved it off 34 seconds into Round 2. Erosa could not match his opponent’s aggression. Ishihara slammed kicks into the inside of his lead leg, forced him to switch stances and routinely beat him to the punch in the first round. Early in the second, he clipped Erosa with a left hook behind the ear, pounced on his prey and finished it with punches and hammerfists. The loss snapped Erosa’s five-fight winning streak and resulted in his first UFC release.

3. Sent Packing

Former two-division Ring of Combat champion Julio Arce wiped out Erosa with a third-round head kick as part of the UFC Fight Night 152 undercard on May 18, 2019 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York. The end came 1:49 into Round 3. Operating in the shadows of the Rafael dos Anjos-Kevin Lee main event, Arce managed distance beautifully, utilized sublime head movement and countered “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 semifinalist at every turn. Erosa grew increasingly desperate as the bout drifted into its latter stages, kept his hands low and paid a steep price in their final exchange along the fence, catching a picture-perfect head kick to the side of the head. No follow-up shots were necessary. Erosa was jettisoned by the UFC afterward.

4. Quick-Strike Capability

Erosa cut down Nate Landwehr with a flying knee a mere 56 seconds in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 185 featherweight prelim on Feb. 20, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Landwehr dropped the Seattle native to a knee with an overhand right from close range but failed to capitalize on the brief opening. Erosa immediately rose to his feet, swarmed with punches and backed the former M-1 Global champion to the fence before unleashing a perfectly timed flying knee. Landwehr hit the deck, and referee Mark Smith arrived on the scene to prevent further damage. It remains the only sub-minute finish of Erosa’s career.

5. Judge, Jury and Executioner

“Juicy J” likely saved his spot on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster when he rallied to submit Ricardo Ramos with a guillotine choke in the first round of their featured UFC on ESPN 53 featherweight prelim on March 23, 2024 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Erosa drew the curtain 2:15 into Round 1, as he rebounded from back-to-back losses to Alex Caceres and Fernando Padilla. Ramos employed an active kicking game and decked the Xtreme Couture standout with a concussive right hand before swooping in for a takedown. He connected with some mild ground-and-pound, only to see the crafty Erosa escape to his feet. Ramos shot on the hips soon after but left his neck exposed while doing so. Erosa bit down on the guillotine, refused to relinquish his grip and coaxed the tapout.