A clash of rising prospects unfolded on the UFC London stage as Louie Sutherland and Brando Pericic met in a heavyweight bout that carried breakout implications for both men.
Sutherland (10-4) made his UFC debut against Valter Walker at UFC 321, where he suffered a submission loss. Now looking to rebound, he returned home to London aiming to get back on track against Pericic.
Pericic (5-1) made his own UFC debut in Perth, Australia last September, stopping Elisha Ellison via first-round TKO. While the performance was impressive, it didn’t generate much buzz in the heavyweight division, leaving him to further announce his arrival at UFC London.
Sutherland started out fast coming out with an overhand right that landed clean, following it up with a takedown attempt. Pericic worked back to his feet, and began throwing bombs with Sutherland. A big knee from the clinch by Pericic hurt Sutherland and forced him to cover up. Pericic swarmed on Sutherland looking to finish the fight with a brutal flurry of punches. Sutherland did all he could to survive but was stopped by TKO after he fell to the ground and ate a few more punches. “The Balkan Bear” got his second knockout win in a row with this impressive performance.
Pericic said that he knew Sutherland would come out “fast” and showed respect to his opponent. Calling out the entire division, Pericic wants a spot on the next UFC Perth card. He then pledged his bonus to one lucky fan following him, saying he was expecting a 100K Performance bonus for the win. How much of the bonus he was putting up for grabs wasn’t clear.
Official Result: Brando Peričić def. Louie Sutherland by TKO, Round 1, 1:48
