Both the co-main, and the main event, for UFC Perth featured brutal first round finishes. Jimmy Crute strangled Ivan Erslan and Carlos Ulberg flatlined Dominick Reyes in a light heavyweight title eliminator. Both finishes also earned bonuses, as well as the main card’s opener between Tom Nolan and Charlie Campbell. All around, an exciting card with five of the six main card fights ending with finishes.

Dominick Reyes

Dominick Reyes was dropped and finished late in the first round of his main event against Carlos Ulberg in UFC Perth’s main event Saturday. Reyes entered the cage ranked at #7 in the light heavyweight division while Ulberg was ranked at #3. To say Reyes was on a hot streak would be putting it mildly- Reyes had seemingly revived his career after getting stopped three times in a row following his controversial 2020 loss to then-UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. “The Devastator” stopped Dustin Jacoby, Anothny Smith and Nikita Krylov climbing back into the top ten of the division. This loss halts a large mass of that momentum, but all isn’t lost for the 35-year-old.

For his next fight, Reyes should take on the loser of Azamat Murzakanov vs Aleksandar Rakic. That fight goes down on October 25th, so the timing wouldn’t be too bad. Rakic is on a three-fight losing skid and has losses against common opponents like Jan Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka in similar fashion. Azamat is 5-0 within the UFC and undefeated in his pro MMA career so far. He shares a common opponent and outcome with Dom, as he has a victory over Dustin Jacoby. Murzakanov is currently ranked at #10 in the division while Rakic is ranked at #8. This fight would make more sense than a lot of the other matchups that could potentially be arranged. Fight could easily be on the main card of a pay-per-view or co main event of a fight night card. Winner would be able to hang on to a top 10-13 ranking.

Dominick’s next fight: Azamat Murzakanov vs Aleksandar Rakic loser

Ivan Erslan

Ivan Erslan was violently submitted in a modified rear naked choke by Jimmy Crute in the co-main event of UFC Perth Saturday. Erslan is now 0-3 with the promotion since being signed from KSW in 2024. This is the first time Ivan’s been finished with the promotion as his debut he dropped a split decision to Ion Cutelaba. Erslan then lost a unanimous decision to Navajo Stirling in May.

The light heavyweight division is currently in bad shape, as far as the roster is concerned. Still, Ivan could potentially face the axe after this loss, but if not, another defeat would surely do the job.

Erslan’s next fight should be against Rodolfo Bellato. Rodolfo lost to Navajo Stirling in the featured prelim bout of UFC Perth on Saturday. Considering Erslan had the exact same outcome against Navajo, earlier this year, it’d be a perfect fight to book. Bellato is also in a similar hot seat as he has the peculiar record of 1-1-1, 1 NC with the UFC. Rodolfo’s lone UFC victory is against Ihor Potieria (no longer with the promotion). His no contest was a controversial one, against the now retired, Paul Craig. And Rodolfo’s draw was also controversial, against none other than Jimmy Crute, back in February. So, this matchup would make a lot of sense at present. And it could be a high stakes bout with the loser likely receiving the boot.

Ivan’s next fight: Rodolfo Bellato 

Ramon Taveras

Jack Jenkins defeated Ramon Taveras on Saturday in a unanimous decision in the only fight that went the distance on the main card. To make matters worse, Taveras missed weight before the bout (147lbs.), in the second time he missed weight while under UFC contract. Ramon is undoubtedly in the hot seat moving forward as he has now missed weight in two different weight classes and also missed weight in his first Contender Series appearance.

A good next opponent for Ramon would Jeong Yeong Lee. Jeong has a similar UFC record to Ramon at 2-2 but is also riding a two-fight losing streak. The pair also share a similar pro MMA record with Tavereas now being 10-4 and Yeong Lee at 11-3. Yeong Lee was stopped by Hyder Amil in July of 2024 and most recently dropped a unanimous decision to Daniel Santos in May. This could be a really good high energy scrap, but it all depends on the direction that UFC brass wants to go considering Ramon’s weigh in history.

Ramon’s next fight: Jeong Yeong Lee or Yizha 

Jake Matthews

Neil Magny submitted Jake Matthews with slick d’arce choke in the final round of their bout on Saturday. Matthews was the only Aussie to take an L on the card, and the loss snapped a three-fight winning streak.

Matthews should fight Elizeu Zaleski in his next scrap. Zaleski has lost three of his last four bouts. In his most recent bout, Neil Magny finished him with ground strikes in round two of their August bout. Elizeu is 11-6-1 with the UFC while Matthews is 15-8. Pretty evenly matched scrap even though both guys are on slightly different trajectories. Timing matches pretty well, both guys share a common last opponent and outcome, why not book it? Could sneak into the main card order of a fight night card with the winner hoping right back into the relevant mid ranks of the 170lbs. division.

Jake’s next fight: Elizeu Zaleski

Charlie Campbell

Tom Nolan submitted Charlie Campbell with a nasty rear naked choke, to earn the third bonus on the main card of UFC Perth Saturday. The loss was Campbell’s first with the UFC after stopping Alex Reyes in his 2023 debut and defeating Trevor Peek last year.

Charlie’s next fight should be against Yanal Ashmouz. While it’s tempting to give Campbell a veteran like King Green, that may not be relevant enough of a litmus test for today’s UFC lightweight division. Yanal is a PFL veteran that is 2-2 within the UFC. Yanal lost in his most recent fight, dropping a unanimous decision to Quillan Salkilld in June. Ashmouz shares a common opponent and outcome with Campbell, and he also defeated Trevor Peek via decision in 2024. This would be a great top of the preliminary card type of fight, or potentially the main card of a Fight Night. The winner of this bout would be right in the thick of the deep waters of the UFC’s successful lightweight prospects.

Charlie’s next fight: Yanal Ashmouz

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The Perth Fight Night event had taken several hits, leading to an improved Crute, coming off a victory over Rodolfo Bellato, taking on the 0-2 KSW vet Erslan.

Crute landed a takedown early in Saturday’s opening round, and while Erslan got back to his feet, he had one problem: he wound up carrying Crute like a backpack. Crute would end up sweeping as they went to the ground, getting to mount. After that, it was Crute taking the back and working to flatten out Erslan. He didn’t even need to do so fully, instead cranking on the neck, arms under the chin. Erslan looked to be in some serious discomfort and was quickly forced to tap!

Since returning from a hiatus earlier this year, Jimmy Crute is now undefeated through three fights, with a 2-0-1 record. With the Erslan win at UFC Perth, he’s won back-to-back fights for the first time since 2020.

Announced as a rear-naked choke, when questioned about what to call the submission by Paul Felder, Crute replied “I don’t know, but I f*cking love it!” Crute then called for a spot on a yet-to-be announced card in Sydney, Australia in February.

Official Result: Jimmy Crute def. Ivan Erslan by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:19

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Erslan (14-5, 1NC) was a two-time title challenger in his old home of KSW, but has started his UFC run at 0-2. Despite that, thanks in part to a Junior Tafa injury, Erslan finds himself in the co-main event at UFC Perth, where he faces Jimmy Crute.

“It’s been a tough start for me. They give me pretty hard tests in first two fights. I got Ion Cutelaba and Navajo Stirling. I could do much better, I think my lack of experience in UFC got me,” Erslan said during this week’s UFC Perth media day. “I feel if I go now inside these two fights, I win this. But never mind.”

Instead, he added that “I feel good coming into this one. I think Jimmy is stylistically a much better fight for me than the previous two guys. So I’m really confident going into this one.”

Erslan added that there are “no doubts” heading into his co-main event fight with Crute, and called it an “opportunity to change my career.”

“I’m in a big stage, I’m co-main event, and now everything is on me. I will not miss this chance for sure. I’m going all in in this fight, I don’t care what he’s bringing. I know I’m capable of winning this fight.”

As far as enduring a hostile crowd with Crute being at home in Australia, Erslan noted that Croatia doesn’t get UFC events anyway. He’s used to a hostile crowd. “I will get them to my side when they see, when the fists start to fly. They will like it. [The] crowd likes an open fight, and I’m ready to bring them this.”

Watch the full UFC Perth media day appearance by Ivan Erslan above.

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“Leading up to this fight I said this guy’s going to come, he’s here to show me who he is, and I felt that. I really felt that,” Stirling told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“You take something away from each other in this fight, and year huge respect to Ivan Erslan. He really brought it out of me even in the training camp. I didn’t overlook him. I had so much respect for him going into that fight. He’s probably the best fighter I’ve ever fought so far in my career. Huge feather in my cap.”

Fans were already excited about Stirling in the UFC, but he admitted he likes the attention. It’s all part of the game for Stirling.

“I think naturally because of the way I am and the way I put myself out there. I invite it all. I invite the pressure, I invite the big moments, I really want to see what I’m capable of. They want to see me against the best and that’s why I’m here. I don’t care if I get pushed fast or pushed slow,” he said.

“As long as I get to fight. I don’t care who is on the table I’ll fight anyone.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Navajo Stirling above.

The post Navajo Stirling Not Shying Away From Pressure Of The UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

Stirling (6-0) made his way into the UFC off Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024. His debut came a couple of months later where he took a decision victory over Tuco Tokkos at UFC Tampa.

Erslan (14-4) looked to bounce back after losing his UFC debut bout against Ion Cutelaba in September. The Croatian light heavyweight tried his luck against Stirling at UFC 315.

Round 1 Stirling came out busy with leg kicks, but Erslan came after him with shots up top. Right hands were landing rather well for Erslan so Stirling switched to high kick attacks. Stirling ate enough right hands to suffer a cut early under the right eye.

Stirling switched up and began to set up his kick attacks with punches up top. Erslan’s attacks slowed as Stirling didn’t offer close encounters for him to land. Round ended with Stirling landing a couple kicks to the body.

Round 2 Erslan took advantage of an attacking Stirling to clinch with him and put him on the fence. Stirling spun to face him and then put Erslan on the canvas. Erslan worked his way back up, but Stirling wasn’t giving up on the wrestling.

Erslan hit the switch and began to use his own wrestling once again. Stirling was able to break contact and get back to striking. He clearly wasn’t happy with the round and began to score to the body of Erslan. Erslan wasn’t fazed and continued his own striking attack as Stirling continued to eat some heavy shots up top.

Round 3 Stirling came out with a left hand up top then a stabbing kick to the body. Erslan was fine continuing his counter attack with right hands. They were landing so it was clearly working.

Stirling wasn’t happy eating so many shots so he shot in on Erslan and put him on the fence. The takedown didn’t work so he landed an elbow on the break and put pressure on Erslan.

Stirling landed a massive right hand that sent Erslan to the canvas. Erslan covered up and ate some shots, but made his way to his feet throwing his hands up urging his opponent to attack.

He obliged and went after Erslan landing heavy shots and ultimately getting him down to the canvas. The rest of the fight was Stirling trying to finish the bout on the ground, but running out of time.

Official Result: Navajo Stirling def. Ivan Erslan via Unanimous Decision (29-28×2, 29-27)

The post Navajo Stirling Trades With Erslan, Almost Finishes Fight In Final Moments appeared first on Cageside Press.

The promotion thought enough of the pairing to set it as the featured prelim in Paris, with Cutelaba looking to bounce back from a loss to Philipe Lins. Erslan had won his final KSW bout in February and was bypassing the usual routes like the Contender Series, Ultimate Fighter, and Dana White’s Lookin’ for a Fight to land in the UFC.

The fight kicked off and Erslan was the first one to land with a nice right hand. Cutelaba responded with a leg kick. Erslan got off some good punches in the clich but Cutelaba landed hard having Erslan back up. Both guys were starting to sit down on their punches. Cutelaba was doing a bit more chasing and Erslan was timing his strikes. Cutelaba attempted a takedown but an easy stuff from Erslan. Erslan was doing good with the jab but Cutelaba did drop him briefly with the right. It didn’t really hurt Erslan but Cutelaba got a takedown. It didn’t last long as Erslan got right back to his feet. With a minute left Erslan landed a good outside leg kick and one-two. Cutelaba was trying to crash the pocket but didn’t land anything in the closing seconds.

In round two Cutelaba was active early mixing it up. He was throwing the leg kicks with the punches while mixing in the takedown attempts. Erslan was more tentative early in round two maybe looking for the opening. Erslan would attempt a takedown of his own half way through the round but nothing. Right after Cutelaba got in on a single leg and kicked out the planted leg to take the back. Erslan almost gave him his nack but was able to get back to his feet. With a minute left as they broke off the clinch, Cutelaba got a nicely-times double leg. Cutelaba made a mistake jumping on the back too high and fell off the back. Erslan ended the round on top but did zero damage.

In the final round, it was pretty clear Erslan needed a finish. The round started with Erslan pressing forward. Erslan probably wanting a brawl but Cutelaba shot in for a takedown. It was badly timed and Erslan defended as Cutelaba pulled guard. Cutelaba stuck off his back was obviously breathing heavily. Erslan was lacking the urgency landing almost nothing. Cutelaba almost got to his feet but instead, Erslan remained in the guard. Cutelaba was able to work to his knees and get back up. Erslan still had control of the waist he’s pull Cutelaba down. Needing a finish Erslan was too patient. Cutelaba would finally reverse positions along the cage and got the takedown right as the bell sounded.

Official Result: Ion Cutelaba def. Ivan Erslan by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Ion Cutelaba Deals Erslan Decision Loss In UFC Debut appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ivan Erslan
Standing at six-foot-three
Fighting at 1205 lbs (light-heavyweight)
32-years-old
Fighting out of Obrovac, Croatia
Training out of American Top Team Zagreb
A pro record of 14-3, 1 NC
10 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission

Lately, the UFC has been signing guys coming off just one win. With Erslan I am fine with that. I’m fine with it because Erslan is UFC level and he isn’t getting any younger. Also, the last guy he lost to, he had also beat before that. Erslan has good wins over not-so-great opponents but credible guys outside the UFC. Darwin Rodriguez, Rafal Kijanczuk, Dirlei Broenstrup, Bogdan Gnidko, and former UFC fighter Luis Henrique da Silva are solid wins.

I believe the first thing I noticed about Erslan is his high guard. With the high guard, he likes to throw the jab. As a jab is a valuable weapon, though I believe it’s least valuable at the heavier weight classes. I say that because if not done perfectly it leaves you open to the looping punches and hooks. With the way Erslan throws the jab, he leans his head into it more than he should. You want to see more of a snapping jab but he sits down on it too much. It’s still useful to have but he just throws it too much. Where Erslan is most dangerous is thriving in the chaos. He starts off clean with the jab and then just unleashes wild overhands. He’s dangerous in those wild exchanges where his chin has held up and his power perseveres.

Erslan has been knocked out and it’s because the way he fights is volatile. The way he just throws caution to the wind in the pocket, sometimes he’s just a nail and not the hammer. I do see Erslan doing well in the UFC. He doesn’t have any major holes in his game. His cardio is fine and his takedown defense is good enough. I don’t rate his ground game all that highly but it’s tough to even get him there. I will say in the UFC there will be guys much better in the wrestling than who he’s fought in KSW. I believe Erslan could be a fixture in the light heavyweight division for a couple years. I don’t think he will ever be ranked but he’ll be right outside of that.

How he matches up with Cutelaba:

Cutelaba, despite a lot of his performances, is a solid fighter. He’s a power puncher and a strong wrestler as well as a menace on top. The big issue with him is that he has bad mental gaps. I believe if he fights smart and uses his wrestling he’ll get a win. Him fighting smart is hard to trust however. If he does decide to trade with Erslan I believe Cutelaba will get caught. I believe that will happen, because Cutelaba is fighting a debutant coming off a bad loss. He’s going to want to go out there and make a statement and it’ll cost him.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Ivan Erslan appeared first on Cageside Press.

Headlined by a heavyweight fight featuring UFC alum Darko Stosic taking on Czech Republic’s own Michal Martínek, the card lacked title fights but looked primed for some big finishes. In addition to the heavyweight headliner, familiar names including Ivan Erslan, Roman Szymański, and Filip Macek were in action.

Stosic, who fought for heavyweight gold last year but came up short against the dominant Phil De Fries, was 2-1 since that encounter and looking to work his way back to title contention. Matinek meanwhile was 1-1 in the company and hoping the bounce back from a recent loss.

KSW 87 airs live on Saturday, October 14, 2023 in Třinec, Czech Republic and can be viewed via KSWTV.com. The action gets underway starting at 1PM ET. Full results from the event can be found below.

KSW 87: Stosic vs. Martínek Results

Heavyweight: Darko Stošić def. Michal Martínek by KO (punch), Round 1, 2:04
Lightweight: Leo Brichta def. Roman Szymański by TKO (punches), Round 3, 4:15
Light Heavyweight: Rafał Haratyk def. Ivan Erslan by KO (punches), Round 1, 4:21
Bantamweight: Oleksii Polischuck def. Filip Macek by submission (triangle arm-bar), Round 1, 4:06
Light Heavyweight: Michał Dreczkowski def. Vojtech Garba by unanimous decision
Catchweight (87 kg): Adrian Dudek def. Lukáš Dvořák by unanimous decision
Catchweight (72 kg): Sahil Siraj def. Ahmed Abdulkadirov by KO, Round 1, 3:16
Featherweight: Dawid Kareta def. Josef Štummer by TKO, Round 1, 4:10
Bantamweight: Tobiasz Le def. Carl McNally by TKO, Round 3, 2:52

The post KSW 87: Stosic vs. Martínek Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mariusz Pudzianowski has, for years, been one of the pillars of the promotion. A winner of The World’s Strongest Man strongman competition years ago, “Pudzian” is a hulking heavyweight who has found considerable success crossing over from another sport. While he’s never won, or even fought, for a title, at heavyweight, it almost doesn’t matter: he puts butts in seats and wins more than he loses, with a 17-7, 1NC record heading into Saturday’s showdown with Mamed Khalidov.

When it comes to Khalidov, for years he was one of the best middleweight talents outside the UFC. Wins over Jesse Taylor, Kendall Grove, Maiquel Falcao, and Brett Cooper in the early days of the Polish promotion solidified his reputation, as did victories outside the promotion against Igor Pokrajac, Jason Guida, and Jorge Santiago.

Early on in the promotion’s history, Khalidov became the inaugural KSW light heavyweight champion. And while in recent years he struggled with catchweight bouts opposite Tomasz Narkun and Scott Askham before losing his middleweight title against Roberto Soldic, at 42 Khalidov’s skills remain a threat to all but the best in the organization.

Two title fights also adorned the KSW 77 card, with Sebastian Przybysz defending against Jakub Wiklacz, and Ibragim Chuzhigaev putting his belt on the line against Ivan Erslan.

KSW 77 takes place Saturday, December 17, 2022 in Gliwice, Poland, kicking off at 1PM ET. The event can be streamed via KSWTV.com.

KSW 77: Pudzianowski vs. Khalidov Results

Mamed Khalidov def. Mariusz Pudzianowski by TKO (Submission to Punches) Round 1, 1:54
Jakub Wiklacz def. Sebastian Przybysz (c) by Split Decision – for the KSW bantamweight championship
Ibragim Chuzhigaev (c) def. Ivan Erslan by Unanimous Decision – for the KSW light heavyweight championship
Daniel Rutkowski def. Lom-Ali Eskiev by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Andrzej Grzebyk def. Oton Jasse by KO (Body Punch), Round 1, 4:21
Patryk Kaczmarczyk def. Pascal Hintzen by TKO (Knees to the Body), Round 1, 1:03
Bogdan Gnidko def. Madalin Pirvulescu by KO (Head Kick and Punches), Round 1, 0:38
Michal Domin def. Patryk Likus by Technical Submission (Triangle Choke), Round 3, 4:33
Yann Liasse def. Adrian Gralak by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 2, 2:37
Shamad Erzanukaev def. Carl McNally by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 2, 2:48
Wiktoria Czyzewska def. Aleksandra Karaseva by TKO (Punches), Round 1, 1:12

The post KSW 77: Pudzianowski vs. Khalidov Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Wednesday, KSW officials announced via press release that two title fights had joined the fray. At light heavyweight, Ibragim Chuzhigaev (16-5) will attempt the first defense of his title against Croatian Ivan Erslan (12-1). Bantamweight champ Sebastian Przybysz (10-2), meanwhile, puts his belt on the line in the evening’s co-main event, opposite Jakub Wiklacz (13-3-1).

Chuzhigaev won the KSW 205lb title against promotional stalwart Tomasz Narkun earlier this year. That extended the Turkish standout’s win streak to seven straight. In his 21-fight career, Chuzhigaev holds wins over Bellator, Cage Warriors and PFL vet Lee Chadwick, UFC vet David Mitchell, Bellator/UFC vet Mike Rhodes, and others.

Erslan’s only loss, for his part, came against former champ Narkun in November 2020. He has not lost since, winning his last three bouts, two of which came under the KSW banner.

Sebastian Przybysz captured bantamweight gold against Antun Racic in 2021, and has defended the title twice since. He and Wiklacz have met twice before, with the pair’s career series tied at one win apiece.

KSW 77 is set to take place on December 17, 2022 at the Arena Gliwice in Gwlice, Poland.

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