In what is the promotion’s fifth of nine consecutive events outside the Apex, the UFC stopped in Perth for a Fight Night card headlined by a number one contender bout between the streaking Carlos Ulberg and the rejuvenated Dominick Reyes.
UFC Perth was a very successful event for the region as Oceanic fighters went 10-1 on the night with Ulberg capping the night off with a stunning knockout. UFC regulars like Jimmy Crute and Jamie Mullarkey got nice wins, prospects Tom Nolan and Colby Thicknesse got their hands raised, while Brando Pericic, Michelle Montague and Cam Rowston won their promotional debuts. Before we move onto UFC 320, let’s first take a look at what’s next for our main card winners.
Carlos Ulberg
People said the reason Carlos Ulberg wasn’t awarded a title shot despite his eight-fight win streak was due to a lack of a true signature win. The first half of his streak was filled with finishes, but against lower-level opponents. His last two wins were good in terms of name value, defeating Volkan Oezdemir and Jan Blachowicz, but were way too cautious, bordering on “boring” territory. Well, this spectacular first-round KO of Dominick Reyes in his first ever main event should finally seal the deal. Yes, there is a fight between Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. next week, but those two are way too violent to have the winner come out unscathed and ready to turn around for a title shot. For that reason, Ulberg now currently holds a firm grip over the number one contender slot.
Ulberg’s next fight: Title shot
Jimmy Crute
Jimmy Crute looked on the brink of retirement after dropping his rematch to Alonzo Menifield back in 2023. But lo and behold, the Aussie is now on his first win streak in five years after two first-round submissions. Though they called it a rear-naked choke on the official decision, this one looked more like a “camel clutch.” Whatever you want to call it, Crute is now back on track. Crute now has a claim to fight for what he once held: a spot in the rankings. I think a meeting with “The Mountain Tiger” would make sense.
Crute’s next fight: Zhang Mingyang
Jack Jenkins
This was a nice bounce back win for Jack Jenkins, who was coming off a tough loss to Gabriel Santos in February. He earned a wide unanimous decision after controlling Ramon Taveras for most of the bout. Jenkins came into the UFC with quite a bit of promise, but an arm injury against Chepe Mariscal and the aforementioned loss to Santos have made it hard for him to garner any momentum. Let’s see if he can finally get a convincing streak going by not rushing him too quickly. I’d be curious to see how Jenkins would deal with a fighter like Fernando Padilla. Being 6’1” with a 76” reach, the Mexican is an interesting test for any featherweight.
Jenkins’ next fight: Fernando Padilla
Neil Magny
He has done it again. “The Haitian Sensation” came in as a big betting underdog, proceeded to lose the first two rounds, then pulled a rabbit out of his hat and found a finish in the third round. The 38-year-old Neil Magny now finds himself on his first win streak since 2020.
Believe it or not, there are still some welterweights out there who Magny hasn’t fought yet. A fight with Kevin Holland or Vicente Luque would interest me, but they’re both currently booked for next month. However, win or lose against Mike Malott, I think I slightly prefer the Kevin Holland fight.
Magny’s next fight: Kevin Holland
Tom Nolan
After a rocky start to his UFC career, Tom Nolan has now rattled off four consecutive victories. Despite being a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, this was Nolan’s first professional win by submission. It also marked the first time Charlie Campbell was submitted. Yes, the win was nice and kept Nolan’s momentum going, but he did get hit a bit too much for me to really push him up the ladder. I’d rather keep steadily increasing his level of competition than throw him to the wolves. There is a fight going down next month in Vancouver between veterans of the game Kyle Prepolec and Drew Dober: two 36-year-olds who should still be tough enough to test the young Australian.
Nolan’s next fight: Prepolec/Dober winner
