Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Perth
Laying Out The Lineup For The UFC’s Return To RAC Arena This Weekend For UFC Fight Night: Ulberg vs Reyes
By E. Spencer Kyte
This weekend, the Octagon returns to RAC Arena in Perth for the fourth time as a loaded fight night event touches down in the Western Australia capital.
Headlined by a critical matchup of light heavyweight contenders just a week before the title goes on the line again at UFC 320, Saturday’s fight card should add another chapter to the growing history of action-packed events that have taken place in Perth, in Australia, and in the Oceanic region as a whole.
Here’s a closer look at what’s on tap this weekend.
Main Event: Carlos Ulberg vs Dominick Reyes
Top-10 standouts on solid winning streaks clash in the main event as Carlos Ulberg faces off with Dominick Reyes.
Owner of the longest active UFC winning streak of anyone in the division, Ulberg touches down for his first main event having garnered eight consecutive victories with his one and only setback coming well over four years ago in his promotional debut. Over his last two outings, the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) graduate posted unanimous decision wins over former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir and ex-champ Jan Blachowicz, further solidifying his standing as one of the top contenders in the 205-pound weight class.
Reyes has been one of the better comeback stories in recent memory, snapping out of an extended funk with a first-round stoppage win over Dustin Jacoby last June. Since then, the former title challenger added finishes over Anthony Smith and Nikita Krylov to his resume, extending his winning streak to three and re-establishing himself as a serious threat in the division.
Next weekend, Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira run it back in a championship rematch at UFC 320, and the winner of this weekend’s main event will be extremely well-positioned to face the winner at some point in the future. Jiří Procházka and Khalil Rountree Jr. are also in the mix, so with the pressure on to make a statement, expect both of these dangerous strikers to come out with designs on closing the show in style this weekend.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Jack Jenkins vs Ramon Taveras
Featherweights Jack Jenkins and Ramon Taveras collide for an intriguing matchup.
Approaching his 32nd birthday, Jenkins makes his fourth straight start in his home country, looking to draw level inside the Octagon in Australia and bounce back from a stoppage loss in February. “Phar Jack” looked outstanding in his return from a gruesome arm injury last August in Perth, battering Herbert Burns to the point that he could not continue, but he was overmatched last time out against ascending Brazilian Gabriel Santos.
Taveras made a pair of appearances on Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, losing as a result of a controversial stoppage in his first outing before making quick work of Cortavious Romious to earn a contract in his second stop in Las Vegas. Last year, he avenged that initial DWCS setback in a tremendous back-and-forth with Serhiy Sidey at UFC 297, then dropped a decision to British veteran Davey Grant at the end of the year.
Jimmy Crute vs Ivan Erslan
It’s back to light heavyweight for a showdown between Australian stalwart Jimmy Crute and bruising Croatian Ivan Erslan.
Crute ended a 19-month sabbatical in February at UFC 312, battling Rodolfo Bellato to a draw, which sent him into the summer having gone five fights without a victory. In New Orleans, “The Brute” got back to his winning ways, looking sharp on the way to collecting a first-round submission win over Polish veteran Marcin Prachnio.
A 2-time title challenger under the KSW banner, Erslan has landed on the wrong side of the scorecards in each of his first two UFC appearances. Last fall, he fell on the unfortunate side of a split decision verdict in a clash with Ion Cutelaba, and then in May, he ventured to Montreal, where he lost a unanimous decision to Navajo Stirling at UFC 315.
Jake Matthews vs Neil Magny
Welterweight mainstays Jake Matthews and Neil Magny will finally share the Octagon together early on this weekend’s main card.
Matthews, who has been chasing a fight with Magny for some time, enters Saturday’s contest on a 3-fight winning streak, having most recently submitted Chidi Njokuani in July. “The Celtic Kid” is 11-4 in the division, including wins over Li Jingliang, Andre Fialho, and Phil Rowe and has been a constant presence on the UFC roster dating back to the summer of 2014.
This will be Magny’s 36th trip into the Octagon, making him just the sixth person to reach that milestone and leaving him two appearances away from tying Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone for third place on the all-time appearances list. The 38-year-old veteran halted a 2-fight slide with a classic comeback last time out, rallying to submit Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in July to register his 23rd UFC victory.
Tom Nolan vs Charlie Campbell
Lightweight open the main card as Tom Nolan welcomes Charlie Campbell to Australia and back to the Octagon.
“Big Train” stumbled coming out of the station in his promotional debut but has since rebounded with three straight wins to establish himself as an intriguing name to track in the 155-pound weight class. The Brisbane-based DWCS graduate has tremendous size for the division, proven power, and has logged invaluable time inside the Octagon over his last two outings ahead of his third consecutive appearance in his home country this weekend.
Campbell returns for the first time in 17 months, looking to build on victories in each of his first two UFC appearances and run his overall winning streak to three. The 30-year-old New Yorker relocated to Las Vegas, which has worked out well for his former teammates Nazim Sadykhov, Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili, and now “The Cannibal” will look to get in on that success as he makes his first business trip abroad.
Prelim Bouts
Justin Tafa vs Louie Sutherland
Divisional staple Justin Tafa welcomes Louie Sutherland to the Octagon for the first time in this combustible heavyweight pairing set to close out the prelims in Perth.
Through his first 10 UFC appearances, Tafa has been out of the first round only three times, each of the other seven starts wrapping up in less than half a round. A training partner of heavyweight prospect Mario Pinto, Sutherland touches down having won four straight, most recently claiming the vacant Levels Fight League heavyweight strap with a first-round stoppage win.
Navajo Stirling vs Rodolfo Bellato
The first of this weekend’s collection of light heavyweight clashes features DWCS grads Navajo Stirling and Rodolfo Bellato.
Stirling has earned a pair of decision wins since joining his City Kickboxing teammates on the UFC roster with a second-round knockout win last season on the Contender Series. Bellato graduated the year before and has gone 1-0-1 with one no contest through his first three appearances inside the Octagon.
Loma Lookboonmee vs Alexia Thainara
Loma Lookboonmee and Alexia Thainara square off here in a matchup of talented, emerging strawweights.
Lookboonmee makes her second appearance of the year, looking to build on her unanimous decision win over Istela Nunes in April and add to her 4-fight winning streak. Another member of the impressive DWCS Class of ’24, Thainara impressed in her March debut where she submitted veteran Molly McCann in the opening round to extend her winning streak to double digits.
Jonathan Micallef vs Oban Elliott
It’s a “freshman versus sophomore” battle in the welterweight division as DWCS grads Jonathan Micallef and Oban Elliott face off in Perth.
Micallef earned his contract last season with a first-round submission win over Mohamed Ado then followed it up with a unanimous decision victory over Kevin Jousset in his debut at UFC 312. One year ahead of his opponent in shaking Dana White’s hand on a Tuesday night, Elliott returns after faltering for the first time inside the Octagon aiming to make an expedient return to the win column.
Cameron Rowston vs Andre Petroski
Cameron Rowston squares off with Andre Petroski in this intriguing middleweight fixture on Saturday’s prelims.
A little more than five weeks after making good on his second appearance on the Contender Series, Rowston will make the walk to the Octagon for the first time aiming to build on his dominant performance in Las Vegas and four-fight winning streak. The 34-yer-old Petroski ventures to Australia looking to get back to his winning ways after having his 3-fight run of success halted by Edmen Shahbazyan last time out.
Colby Thicknesse vs Josias Musasa
Colby Thicknesse makes his first full-camp appearance under the UFC banner, facing off with DWCS Class of ’24 alum Josias Musasa.
The former HEX Fight Series bantamweight champ Thicknesse made a short-notice start at UFC 312 in February, landing on the wrong side of the scorecards in a bout with Alexandre Topuria. Musasa ran his record to 8-0 with a split decision win last season on Dana White’s Contender Series but was caught out in his promotional debut in March, getting rocked and submitted by TUF alum Carlos Vera.
Jamie Mullarkey vs Rolando Bedoya
Australian lightweight mainstay Jamie Mullarkey welcomes Rolando Bedoya to Perth in what should be an action-packed preliminary card pairing.
Now 11 fights into his UFC career, the results haven’t always been consistent for Mullarkey, but the action has with the 31-year-old establishing himself as tough out and perpetually entertaining member of the 155-pound weight class. Bedoya impressed in his short-notice promotional debut back at UFC 288, landing on the wrong side of a split decision in a clash with Khaos Williams, but has struggled since, dropping consecutive decisions to Kenan Song and Jai Herbert to leave him still searching for his first UFC triumph.
Michelle Montague vs Luana Carolina
Unbeaten Michelle Montague makes her promotional debut against Brazilian veteran Luana Carolina in this bantamweight matchup.
The 31-year-old Montague brings a 6-0 record into her first UFC appearance, having earned each of her victories by submission. Carolina enters on a 3-fight winning streak but is fighting for the first time since the summer of 2024 while returning to the bantamweight ranks for the first time since the summer of 2018.
Brando Pericic vs Elisha Ellison
Debuting heavyweights originally ticketed for Season 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series open the show this weekend in Perth instead as Brando Pericic and Elisha Ellison kick things off at RAC Arena.
Pericic is the first heavyweight from City Kickboxing to touch down on the UFC roster, arriving with a 4-1 record and consecutive rapid first-round stoppage wins. A teammate of UFC lightweight Chase Hooper, Ellison brings a 5-1 record with three consecutive wins into his debut, having yet to venture beyond the first round in any of his wins.
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