From Carlos Ulberg’s brutal first-round KO that put the light heavyweight division on notice, to Jimmy Crute’s redemption story, to a day where almost every local fighter had sent the RAC Arena crowd into raptures, UFC Perth delivered everything fans could have hoped for.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the UFC Perth card.
Ulberg is that guy
There’s been a little bit of a chip on the broad shoulders of Carlos Ulberg this week as the No. 3 ranked light heavyweight repeatedly faced questions on his world title chances. Was he next man up? What does he need to do to get it? Are his fights too dull? Is he too safe? Does he need to make a statement?
Well make a statement he did. A stunning, brutal first-round knockout of a rejuvenated Dominick Reyes answered all those questions and more.
It was a surgical dismantling of Reyes, who failed to land a punch. He controlled the cage, controlled the pace, saw his opportunity and took it in devastating fashion.
Your move Dana. Next week before we see Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2, Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Roundtree will meet as the four-way battle to be the next man up comes to a crescendo. And Ulberg plans to be there too. Sitting cage side, reminding everyone that he thinks he’s the guy. Unbeaten in years. Untouched in the cage tonight. Confidence unbreakable. His time is now.
Crute redemption arc continues
It was 2019 that light heavyweight Jimmy Crute was named by ESPN as the 7th best prospect under 25. A lot has happened since then. After running into losses against division stalwarts Anthony Smith and Jamahal Hill, Crute’s star faded quickly, after a pair of fights with Alonzo Menifield. After the second fight — a defeat in Las Vegas — Crute laid down his gloves and seemingly left the octagon for good.
Nearly two years away from the sport saw Crute change a lot. He found religion, become a devout Christian, and used his new-found spirituality as a springboard for a return. A draw in Sydney at UFC 312 and impressive submission win over Marcin Prachino, brought him to Perth as a co-main. Against Ivan Erslan, Crute was tremendous, taking his opponent to the mat at the earliest opportunity and was relentless in pursuit of the submission.
As he took in the adulation of a home crowd, the smile could not be wiped off Crute’s face. A happy Jimmy Crute is a dangerous Jimmy Crute. And there was no happier man in Perth than the boy from Bendigo.
A big night for the local fighters
Originally with 14 Australian and New Zealand fighters on the card, we ended up with 11 making the walk in RAC Arena after the withdrawal of the Tafa brothers, and the cancellation on Jono Micallef’s fight. And what a day out they had. In the end 10 local fighters saw their arm raised with only Jake Matthews suffering defeat — albeit in controversial circumstances.
All of this whilst the royalty of ANZ MMA — Adesanya, Whittaker, Volkanovski, Tuivasa, Hooker, Kara-France, Della Maddalena — sat as spectators. It was a card that showcased the depth of ANZ MMA , reintroducing some old favourites, and welcoming some future stars.
Fighters like Brando Pericic who lit the blue touch paper with a big first round knockout. Like Michelle Montague, the first Kiwi woman to make the UFC, who got the decision. Tom Nolan, Navajo Stirling, big prospects on big runs, who kept their train rolling. And fan favourites Jimmy Crute and Jack Jenkins. Both with difficult recent pasts, but both with their arms raised and smiles on their faces.
As UFC’s international chief Dave Shaw commented afterwards, a card like this one “puts a lot of new names into contention”.