Brando Pericic and Elisha Ellison arrive in the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion at UFC Perth, a pair of heavyweighs set to collide on the preliminary card. The event is headlined by Carlos Ulberg and Dominick Reyes, and has taken a number of hits in the lead-up to the show at the RAC Arena, from multiple bout cancellations to slow ticket sales.
Brando “The Balkan Bear” Pericic
Standing at fix-foot-five
Fighting at 265 lbs (heavyweight)
31-years-old
Fighting out of South Australia, Australia
Training out of City Kickboxing
A pro record of 4-1
3 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission
No surprise to see Pericic signed to the UFC, representing City Kickboxing as a heavyweight. With a kickboxing background, he holds an 18-2 record and was a former IKBF/ISKA Super Heavyweight Champion.
That said, I’m not overly impressed with Pericic. Like many heavyweights, his primary threat is power on the feet, but beyond that, there’s little technical polish. He does his best work inside, throwing short elbows and knees, but his striking is generally sloppy: wild and unrefined, lacking setups or strategy. He simply “sends it” without much thought.
Pericic has some grappling in his arsenal, with a ground-and-pound stoppage and a submission win, but these came against lower-level opponents and don’t carry much weight. When it comes to takedown defense, his main response is to punch and elbow, but once taken down, he makes significant mistakes, errors he’s gotten away with so far only because of the limited athleticism of his past opponents.
Overall, I don’t see Pericic replicating his kickboxing success in MMA. He’s too limited, too raw, and lacks the conditioning to compete at a higher level.
Standing at five-foot-eleven
Fighting at 265 lbs (heavyweight)
28-years-old
Fighting out of Enumclaw, Washington, US
Training out of Combat Sports & Fitness
A pro record of 5-1
4 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission
Ellison is tough to assess because not much action happens in his fights before the finish. Looking at his opponents, it’s clear he’s mostly faced guys who barely train or lack real fight experience. The downside? He’s actually lost to one of those underwhelming fighters, being walked down, dropped, and finished with ground-and-pound.
While he hasn’t looked as bad as you might expect, that’s largely due to the low caliber of competition. Defensively, I don’t trust him much. Offensively, though, he has some tools: he throws combinations, shows decent hand speed, packs respectable power, and displays a fair amount of technical skill.
Overall, I’d consider Ellison a solid regional heavyweight: someone who could serve as a test for up-and-comers looking to break through the ranks.
Prediction: Pericic is likely to be the heavy betting favorite, but I disagree. Sure, it’s heavyweight, and anything can happen. He could come out and catch Ellison early, but after watching both, I see this more as a pick-em fight.
In terms of technique, speed, and grappling, I give the edge to Ellison. Pericic will likely have the advantage in the clinch and probably the heavier punch early on. On paper, Pericic should win. He’s more experienced in combat sports, trains at a better gym, and has the size advantage.
I strongly favor Pericic in the first two minutes, but if the fight drags on, things could get messy. Ellison has a broader arsenal, but I’m skeptical about his chin holding up under pressure. I do think Pericic gets the job done early.
