For the first time ever, a UFC Fight Night made its way to the RAC Arena, as UFC Perth went down on September 27.
It was the fourth UFC card to take place in Perth, but the others have come with pay-per-view events. This includes UFC 305 last year, which saw Dricus Du Plessis submit Israel Adesanya to retain the UFC middleweight championship.
A pivotal light heavyweight contenders battle took place in the main event, as Carlos Ulberg faced off with former title challenger Dominick Reyes. Ulberg came into this bout on an eight-fight win streak, having most recently scored a decision over former champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC London in March. Reyes, meanwhile, had won three straight, most recently knocking out Nikita Krylov at UFC 314.
Another light heavyweight fight took place in the evening’s co-main event, as Jimmy Crute faced off with Ivan Erslan. Crute scored his first victory in years at UFC 318, submitting Marcin Prachnio. Erslan, meanwhile, was still seeking his first UFC win after losses to Ion Cutelaba and Navajo Stirling.
Who came out impressive? Who fell short of expectations? Let’s find out with the hits and misses of UFC Perth!
Hit: Brando Pericic’s Destructive Debut
Brando Pericic and Elisha Ellison both received a big opportunity when they were booked against one another for the preliminary card of UFC Perth. And it was Pericic who brought the highlight finish.
Pericic found himself in a little bit of trouble early when he was hit by one of Ellison’s right punches. But Pericic battled back, and when Ellison attempted to pull guard, Pericic made him pay. Pericic landed a flurry of ground-and-pound that resulted in Ellison getting knocked out, giving Pericic the win.
“The Balkan Bear” is now 5-1 as a professional MMA fighter and already has earned a performance bonus. Pericic has won four of five fights since a long layoff between his first two fights, and hopefully his time in the cage only continues to grow now as he continues to develop as a heavyweight fighter.
Hit: Cam Rowston Calls His Shot And Delivers
It was only a month ago when Cam Rowston earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, and he asked for a match at UFC Perth. Not only was he granted the request and placed on this card, but he made the most of his opportunity with a win over Andre Petroski.
Despite some early leg kicks from Petroski, Rowston was able to find a left hand to drop Petroski before jumping into top game, executing ground-and-pound until scoring the first-round referee stoppage.
Rowston has now won five straight and is now 13-3 as a pro fighter. And to get a win in your short-notice UFC debut against a tough guy like Petroski is a strong first impression for Rowston.
Hit: Tom Nolan Bests Charlie Campbell In Brief Banger
Tom Nolan and Charlie Campbell’s fight didn’t last a long time, but for the time it lasted, it was absolutely entertaining.
Campbell got Nolan in trouble early, using his fists to drop Nolan and give him a bloody nose. But Nolan battled back, resulting in some wild exchanging throughout the fight’s duration. Nolan then dropped Campbell on a counterpunch before locking up a rear-naked choke, scoring a first-round submission.
The 10-1 Nolan has now won four straight since dropping his UFC debut, and the Dana White Contender Series winning alumnus might get a little step up in competition in his next outing.
Miss: Ref Ruins Jake Matthews’ (Wrong) Victory, Spoils Neil Magny Comeback
I want to use this time to praise the efforts of Neil Magny, continuing to leave his legacy in the Octagon with yet another come-from-behind, third-round finish, defeating Jake Matthews.
But the problem is, Magny shouldn’t have been given the win. The bigger problem? Jake Matthews shouldn’t have either.
Matthews had Magny caught in a choke in the closing seconds of round one. Referee Jim Perdios mistakenly thought Magny was out and stepped in with one second remaining — with video footage showing him stepping in right before the horn sounded.
Perdios then conveniently said he was stepping in due to the end of the round, not a submission, after Magny’s protests. He knew he screwed up and got bailed. But when you look at the footage, Perdios clearly said the match was over first before saying the round had ended.
And if this writer isn’t mistaken, the fight-ending sequence would need a replay review, which would then make the fight end in a no contest. And honestly? A no contest probably would have been the better result.
Yes, you can argue Matthews didn’t get the job done…but the problem is, for right or wrong, he shouldn’t have to after getting the “finish” at the last second of the first round. The bonehead of this fight is the referee, plain and simple. I hope we get to see this fight run back with a more responsible referee.
Also, said it before and will say it again, the fact referees, judges, and other officials have zero need for accountability in this sport is sickening.
Hit: Jimmy Crute Back To Consecutive Wins In Home Crowd
Jimmy Crute hadn’t scored a win in just under five years before his UFC 318 victory over Marcin Prachnio. Now, he’s finally won consecutive fights again after defeating Ivan Erslan in the co-main event of UFC Perth.
Crute withstood the power punching from Erslan before locking him up with his grappling and bringing this fight to the ground. There, Crute executed a choke, which looked more like a WWE style Camel Clutch move, to get the submission win.
It’s a feel-good victory for Crute to get in front of a native crowd. After a string of losses and draws, hopefully for him this puts him back in winning ways.
Hit: Carlos Ulberg Lays Claim To Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2 Winner
With a couple of big light heavyweight matchups coming next week at UFC 320, including a light heavyweight title rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira, Carlos Ulberg starched Dominick Reyes to lay claim for why he should face the winner for the title.
A quiet first round, with both men cautious of each other’s power, turned into Ulberg working his fists before landing a sharp one-two that put Reyes out.
Ulberg has won every fight since dropping his UFC debut in 2021. Ulberg said he would be talking with UFC brass soon, and in case Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. don’t make an impression, perhaps Ulberg could work his way into scoring the first light heavyweight title fight in 2026.
