Prelim Results | UFC Perth

The Season 9 Dana White’s Contender Series grad showcased the full scope of his skill set against Robert Bryczek, using his length to land from distance before taking the Polish middleweight to the canvas and working his ground-and-pound. Bryczek did well to mitigate the damage and force Rowston to work, but the City Kickboxing man was in complete control the whole way through.

While the judges were needed to make things official, the verdict was never in doubt, as Rowston swept the scorecards. Three wins in nine months is an outstanding start for the 31-year-old Australian, who continues to move forward in the division with each subsequent appearance.

Christian attacked the lead leg early, leaving Tafa limping and switching stances, but the tenured Australian didn’t allow that to deter him. He continued to press forward and after clipping the Christian and forcing him to the canvas, “The Juggernaut” unloaded a torrent of elbows that sent his Brazilian foe to the Land of Whispers and Ghosts.

This was a much-needed win for the 29-year-old Tafa, who halted a two-fight skid with his third stoppage win inside the Octagon. He’s far more suited for life in the 205-pound weight class and showed he can be dangerous assignment for anyone that ventures to stand with him going forward.

Meerschaert controlled the opening round when he was able to get to top position on the ground, before Malkoun was the more effective of the two throughout the second. In the third, the Australian started well, only for Meerschaert to find some success later in the round before finishing the fight chasing a mounted guillotine choke.

The judges were tasked with determining the victor and in the end, it was Malkoun that came out on top. The 30-year-old middleweight has now won four of his last five and six of eight inside the Octagon, getting him steady footing in the middle of the 185-pound weight class.

The Freestyle MMA staple chased multiple submissions in the first, looking deep on a combination triangle choke and armbar that Morales battled hard to escape. After getting the better of things on the feet in the second, Thicknesse was put on shaking footing midway through the third but was able to gather his wits and keep Morales from chasing down a finish.

When the scorecards were collected and totalled, it was Thicknesse that came out ahead, registering his second consecutive win inside the Octagon. There were high points early in the fight for the 26-year-old Australian and his ability to navigate rough waters late will continue to serve him well going forward, especially if he can tighten up his defensive skills.

This was a back-and-forth battle contested largely on the ground, with Schultz constantly chasing submissions and Johnston working to settle into top position and land damage. After chasing numerous guillotine chokes earlier in the contest, Schultz dove on a couple more attempts in the third, eventually catching Johnston in a position where he couldn’t scramble out, leaving him no choice but to tap.

That’s not six submission wins in nine career victories for Schultz, who bounced back from a loss in his promotional debut earlier this year. While the partisan crowd in Perth wasn’t happy with the outcome, it will surely be “Party Time” back in Milwaukee once the sun comes up.

This was a grappling-heavy affair where each of the first two rounds were decided largely by who was able to secure a takedown and settle into top position, with Micallef doing so in the first and Gorimbo following suit in the second. With the fight hanging in the balance in the third, Micallef was the more effective of the two on the feet over the final five minutes.

Two of the three judges scored the fight in favor of the Australian, who moved to 10-1 overall and 3-0 in the UFC with the win. Just 27 years old, Micallef has shown clear upside to begin his time competing in the Octagon and remains a young talent to track in the deep welterweight division.

After taking Mar Fan to the ground within the first minute of the contest, the two men battled for positioning on the canvas, with Mar Fan reversing Steele out of mount before the American began attacking leg locks in the scrambles. As they continued their cat-and-mouse game on the mat, Steele attacked an inverted heel hook that immediately forced Mar Fan to tap.

A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’24, Steele showed his class on the ground after getting into a back-and-forth brawl with Rongzhu in his debut last year in Sydney. The 31-year-old Combat Jiu Jitsu world champion has quickly proven himself to be an all-action addition to the lightweight ranks and one to watch going forward.