Sherdog’s live
UFC Perth coverage will begin Saturday at 4 a.m. ET. The event
is also known as
UFC Fight Night 275.
Round 1
Good evening, or as we say here in Texas, good morning! In the UFC
Perth curtain jerker, Road to UFC product Mar Fan (9-2) makes his
proper Octagon debut against
Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8 alum Steele (7-1; 0-1
UFC). The third man in the cage is referee Matt Wynne. Both
lightweights set up in orthodox and it’s the taller Mar Fan pawing
out with a long jab. Steele shoots a double-leg from outside and
secures a clean takedown. Mar Fan closes his guard and uses his
arms to control Steele’s posture. Ninety seconds in, Steele passes
to half guard. He’s throwing short punches and using shoulder
pressure to make his foe uncomfortable. Steele tries to pass to
mount as Mar Fan looks for a sweep. He does, but Mar Fan times him
perfectly and rolls him right over, sweeping to top position.
Steele scrambles and they end up in an awkward-looking leglock race
position. Under two minutes left in the round and Steele is the
only one actually threatening his foe’s leg.
Mar Fan starts to stand out of the position, Steele adjusts his
hold to a wild kneebar/heel hook hybrid attack and suddenly Mar Fan
taps! Wynne is there to save him in a flash and Kody
Steele has his first UFC win. Impressive stuff from the combat
jiu-jitsu star.
The Official Result
Kody Steele def. Dom Mar Fan R1 3:56 via Submission (Heel
Hook)
Round 1
Micallef (9-1; 2-0 UFC) looks to keep his Octagon record spotless
against Gorimbo (14-6; 4-3 UFC), who is tasked with snapping the
first losing streak of his career in hostile territory. Lukas
Bosacki draws the referee assignment. Micallef is southpaw, Gorimbo
orthodox, and both men reach out with awkward rear-hand punches in
the opening moments. Gorimbo closes the distance and shoves
Micallef to the fence. They pummel for position briefly, then
disengage and return to the center of the cage. Gorimbo clocks
Micallef with a right hand in the pocket, but can’t follow it with
anything of consequence. Micallef lands a good left hand of his
own, then eats another hard right from Gorimbo. Micallef connects
with a pair of punches upstairs and Gorimbo clinches. They fight
for underhooks against the fence. Two minutes to go in the round
and it’s Micallef on the outside, shoving Gorimbo into the cage.
Gorimbo reverses the position. They exchange knees inside. Micallef
hits a lovely foot sweep and dumps Gorimbo to the canvas. Micallef
is in Gorimbo’s full guard, then postures up and drops a couple of
hard punches. Gorimbo starts to pop up, but Micallef drives him
back to the ground and threatens to take his back. Gorimbo stands,
giving up his back briefly, but spins out of it and returns to his
feet. They collide in the pocket and the round ends. 10-9
Micallef.
Round 2
Gorimbo comes forward swinging big, but the punches glance off of
Micallef’s guard. He throws another salvo of punches and several of
them connect. He closes the distance and grabs a body lock,
dragging Micallef to his knees, but the Australian pops right back
up. Gorimbo drives Micallef to the fence, keeping the body lock,
but Micallef shucks him off and grabs a single-leg. He looks about
to finish the takedown, but falls back off-balance with Gorimbo on
top. Gorimbo is in Micallef’s full guard, and as he looks to pass,
Micallef throws his legs up for a triangle choke. He can’t secure
it, and Gorimbo is very close to passing his guard against the
fence. Micallef kicks Gorimbo all the way off of him, but Gorimbo
dives straight back into guard. Micallef controls Gorimbo’s wrists
and tries another triangle setup. Gorimbo sniffs it out easily and
passes Micallef’s guard, then takes his back in a flash. There’s a
full minute left as Gorimbo cinches up a body triangle from back
mount. Micallef fights off Gorimbo’s initial attempts at a choke,
then squirms and, Anthony Pettis-like, spins all the way out of
back mount into guard. Micallef gets in a couple of punches right
before the horn. 10-9 Gorimbo.
Round 3
Gorimbo just touches with a right high kick, and Micallef answers
with a right hand. Gorimbo is active with the kicks early, tagging
Micallef’s lead leg. Micallef throws a right kick to the body and
Gorimbo catches the kick, then counters with a right hand up top.
Gorimbo times Micallef’s next kick and plows him to the canvas.
They pop back up seconds later and Gorimbo drives Micallef to the
fence. Micallef reverses the position. They separate and go back to
kickboxing, and Gorimbo immediately goes back to work with low
kicks. Micallef answers with a few kicks of his own, but seems to
be trying to measure his man for a counterpunch. Micallef gets the
better of a boxing exchange, and Gorimbo changes levels for a
single-leg attempt. He holds onto the leg and shoves Micallef to
the fence, but Micallef extricates the leg and nails Gorimbo with a
pair of punches. Gorimbo suddenly looks very tired. Micallef lights
him up with a three-piece. Gorimbo has slowed but is still very
much in the fight, blasting Micallef’s lead right leg with another
calf kick. Micallef throws a spinning backfist that lands cleanly.
Under 30 seconds left and Micallef surges forward with spinning
attacks and a series of big punches, trying for the last-second
finish, but nothing of consequence lands. The horn sounds, and it
should be his fight anyway, on our scorecard at least. 10-9
Micallef (29-28 Micallef).
The Official Result
Jonathan Micallef def. Themba Gorimbo via Split Decision (29-28,
29-28, 28-29)
Round 1
Late bloomer Johnston (5-1) makes his Octagon debut against
two-time Contender Series competitor Schultz (8-3; 0-1 UFC) in a
middleweight clash. Referee Rich Mitchell will be tasked with
keeping this one clean. Johnston is southpaw, Schultz orthodox, but
Schultz shoots for a takedown before a single strike is thrown. He
gets his man down, but Johnston rolls right through and takes top
position. Schultz tries to keep the scramble going, but Johnston
keeps the position and lands a couple of hard punches. Schultz
scoots backward, elevating his hips for some possible offense from
the bottom, but Johnston drives him all the way to the fence.
Johnston drops some more solid ground strikes. Schultz sits up and
grabs a front headlock, but Johnston extricates his head from
danger, pushes Schultz back down and lands a couple more punches.
Schultz gets back to his feet and drives Johnston into the fence.
They exchange knees in the clinch, then Schultz does a half guard
pull, half failed sacrifice throw and ends up on his back at the
base of the fence. Under a minute left to go and Johnston is again
in top position, in Schultz’s half guard, chipping away with short
punches and elbow strikes. The round ends. 10-9 Johnston.
Round 2
They touch gloves to begin Round 2. Johnston clinches right away,
possibly looking for a judo throw, but Schultz blasts him with a
knee to the head. Schultz hustles his hurt foe to the ground with a
guillotine choke, then adjusts his grip. Johnston is in real danger
for a moment, but pops his head out and squirts to top position.
Schultz explodes out of the position and lands on top in the
ensuing scramble. Johnston gets up and Schultz takes his back.
Schultz looks for a choke, but Johnston slips away and takes top
position again. Johnston is in Schultz’s wide-open half guard
against the fence and drops a few strikes. Schultz sits up and
grabs another guillotine. It’s locked up, but Johnston calmly works
through the hold, pulling his head out of danger a few seconds
later, then punishes Schultz with several elbows and punches. A
minute to go in the round and Johnston is on top, mashing Schultz
into the corner of the cage with shoulder pressure. Johnston is
close to passing his foe’s guard, grinding elbows into Schultz’s
head. The horn sounds. 10-9 Johnston.
Round 3
Schultz surges forward with a series of big haymakers, backing
Johnston up to the fence, and snatches a standing guillotine choke.
He falls to guard and the choke is tight. Johnston spits out his
mouthguard, trying to survive the hold, which Schultz adjusts into
something closer to a neck crank. After a few more tense moments,
Johnston pops his head out and they spring back to their feet.
Mitchell stops the action to return Johnston’s gumshield, then
motions them back to work.
Schultz goes for the guillotine yet again, jumping to guard, and
cinches up his arms. Third time—or is it the fourth?—is the charm,
as the debuting Aussie taps out. Impressive commitment
to the game plan from Wes Schultz, and it pays off with his first
UFC win!
The Official Result
Wesley Schultz def. Ben Johnston R3 1:53 via Submission (Guillotine
Choke)
Round 1
After a tough loss for the local in the last bout, Thicknesse (8-1;
1-1 UFC) will try to reignite the Aussie faithful against Morales
(16-10; 3-8 UFC) in this bantamweight prelim. Dan Movahedi is the
referee. Both men are in orthodox stance, and Thicknesse reaches
out and touches Morales’ guard with an immediate high kick. Morales
is pressing the issue, marching forward and crowding the lanky
Australian. Morales swings his way into the pocket and backs
Thicknesse to the fence. Thicknesse changes levels and Morales
counters with a front headlock. Thicknesse pops his head out and
grabs a guillotine choke of his own, falling to his seat near the
fence. Morales pulls his head out of danger and stands over
Thicknesse. Thicknesse explodes up and moves to Morales’ back,
sinking his hooks and looking for a choke. Morales shakes him off
over the top, but Thicknesse follows him beautifully, snaring him
in a triangle choke. Morales fights the hold, rolling over, and
Thicknesse switches to a triangle armbar. It’s big trouble again,
but Morales keeps working, doesn’t panic, and after a few tense
moments, escapes. Thicknesse bails on the submission attempt but
takes top position and starts dropping punches. Thicknesse takes
Morales’ back with under a minute to go and is fishing for a choke.
Morales fights off the attempts and sweeps to top position with 30
seconds to go. The round ends with the American in half guard. 10-9
Thicknesse.
Round 2
Morales is on the front foot once again to start Round 2, throwing
punches and forcing Thicknesse to back off. Thicknesse circles,
refusing to be corralled against the fence. Morales pops his man
with a nice jab, then counters a low kick with a solid right hand.
A minute in, Thicknesse grabs a snatch single-leg, but Morales hops
away and frees his leg with ease. Morales seems to have the sharper
hands here, as he is landing clean single strikes and getting away
unscathed. Thicknesse throws a body kick, then lands a spinning
back elbow when Morales catches his leg. Thicknesse cliches, takes
an overhook and tries to throw Morales, but Morales is wise to it.
They stumble to the fence together and Thicknesse takes Morales’
back standing. He can’t secure the position, however, and Morales
moves away from the fence. Morales catches Thicknesse coming in
with a couple of good punches. Morales counters a front kick with a
right hand. Under 30 seconds to go, and they exchange glancing
shots until the horn. 10-9 Morales.
Round 3
They touch gloves to open the final round and Morales comes forward
swinging. Thicknesse stands his ground and fires off a kick to the
midsection. Morales counters with punches. Morales takes the center
of the cage and Thicknesse throws a spinning elbow that comes up
badly short. Morales is dialed in with his boxing, landing
two-handed combinations that aren’t carrying a ton of power, but
are accurate. Thicknesse is not giving back much on the feet,
missing with single overhand power shots. They clinch near the
fence and Morales tosses Thicknesse to the canvas, then declines to
follow him down, instead letting him get back up. Morales catches
Thicknesse with a short right hand that wobbles him badly. He gives
chase, swarming with punches, then grabs a front headlock and
attacks with a guillotine choke. Thicknesse survives, scrambles
away but gives up his back. Morales takes back mount and fights for
a rear-naked choke. There’s under a minute left, but Thicknesse is
calmly fighting the choke. Morales gives up on the choke and
returns to his feet, dropping a few final punches before the horn.
10-9 Morales (29-28 Morales).
The Official Result
Colby Thicknesse def. Vince Morales via Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)
Round 1
Malkoun (9-3; 5-3 UFC) enters the cage as a massive favorite
against the reeling and overweight Meerschaert (37-21; 12-13 UFC),
with Mike Beltran drwaing his first ref assignment of the evening.
Malkoun is orthodox, Meerschaert southpaw, and it’s Malkoun
connecting first with a solid right hand that backs the American
off. Malkoun is the much faster man on the feet in the early going.
Malkoun, bizarrely, changes levels for a takedown attempt against
the fence and Meerschaert counters with his trademark guillotine.
Malkoun is in real danger for a moment, but manages to extricate
his neck. Meerschaert is in top position, in Malkoun’s half guard,
looking perhaps to try for another guillotine. Half the round is
down, and Meerschaert is still on top, in control. Malkoun manages
to stick him back into full guard, but Meerschaert passes to half
guard again near the base of the fence. Beltran is talking to them,
presumably telling them to keep working, but it’s far from a static
position, as they are moving and exchanging short shots.
Meerschaert postures up and drops an elbow to the face. Meerschaert
wraps up a guillotine from top position but can’t make a serious
attempt out of it before the horn. 10-9 Meerschaert.
Round 2
They go back to work on the feet and once again, Malkoun’s edge in
speed and accuracy is stark. Malkoun bounces into range against the
taller man, pops him with a two or three-punch combo, then exits
untouched, several times in a row. Meerschaert appears to be
looking for the right moment to shoot for a takedown, but through
90 seconds he has not made a serious attempt. Malkoun backs him up
to the fence and belts him with a right to the body. Meerschaert
lands a glancing head kick, and Malkoun tags him with two punches.
They collide in the pocket and Meeerschaert pulls guard. He
controls Malkoun’s posture with a shoulder lock, but Malkoun pulls
his right arm out of danger, sets up in Meerschaert’s half guard
and throws a flurry of ground strikes. With under a minute to go,
Malkoun throws a final series of punches and stands up out of his
foe’s guard. Beltran motions Meerschaert to stand, and Malkoun
quickly tags him with another series of punches. The round ends.
10-9 Malkoun.
Round 3
It’s anyone’s fight—on our scorecard, at least—as these two go back
to work for Round 3. Malkoun stalks forward, sticking out his left
jab, backing Meerschaert off. Malkoun is getting much the better of
the orthodox vs. southpaw hand fight. A minute in, neither man has
really committed to a power strike on the feet, but Malkoun has
been the more active, more accurate man. Malkoun steps into the
pocket and lands a clean three-piece combination that makes
Meerschaert blink and back off. Malkoun hits him with a lead left.
He is landing nearly at will, but not forcing the issue at all
despite his clear superiority on the feet. Malkoun steps into the
pocket and Meerschaert falls to guard in the ensuing collision.
Malkoun follows him down, settles into his guard, but lets him back
up a moment later. They return to the center of the cage and
exchange strikes. Meerschaert is the aggressor, stalking forward
and throwing single strikes. They collide and Meerschaert throws on
a guillotine choke, shoving Malkoun to the canvas and trying for
the last-second finish. It’s pretty obvious he won’t get it, but
the round ends with the American on top and in control. The horn
sounds on a strange, frankly lousy fight. 10-9 Malkoun (29-28
Malkoun).
The Official Result
Jacob Malkoun def. Gerald Meerschaert via Unanimous Decision
(29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Round 1
Towering light heavies Christian (9-3; 0-1 UFC) and Tafa (6-5; 2-5
UFC) go to work at the direction of referee Matt Wynne. Tafa is
tall and long, but Christian is ridiculously huge, and they
exchange hard shots immediately. Christian hacks away at Tafa’s
front leg with nasty kicks from both sides, and Tafa is reacting
right away. Tafa does not like the kicks one bit, but he’s
countering with huge punches up top, several of which land.
Christian is hurt and backing away, but manages to recover. The
Brazilian goes right back to work on Tafa’s lead leg, which is
visibly chewed up. Tafa is favoring the bad leg, but he plants on
it anyway and floors Christian with a pair of flush hooks.
Christian stumbles away.
Tafa gives chase, puts him down with a final right hand, then drops
at least 10 jackhammer right elbows from top position before Wynne
moves in to save the unconscious Brazilian. Definitive
finish to a blissfully defense-free scrap by “The Juggernaut.”
The Official Result
Junior Tafa def. Kevin Christian R1 2:42 via KO (Punches and
Elbows)
Round 1
“Battle Giraffe” Rowston (14-3; 2-0 UFC) seeks to continue his
impressive UFC run at the expense of Poland’s Bryczek (18-6; 1-1
UFC), with referee Lukasz Bosacki in charge of rules enforcement.
Both men are in orthodox stance to start things off, and it’s
Bryczek stalking forward as Rowston gives ground and looks for
counters. Bryczek is doing a lot of hand fighting, trying to get
inside on the much taller, rangier Aussie, but Rowston is wise to
it and catches him with the right cross twice in a row. Bryczek
wades into the pocket and lands a flurry of hooks to the body. They
appear to have had an effect, because Rowston changes levels for a
takedown. He hauls Bryczek to his seat, but Bryczek will not
concede the position, scooting and using underhooks to get back up.
Rowston changes levels again, drives Bryczek to the fence and
scoops him up for an easy-looking takedown. Rowston is in his
opponent’s full guard at the base of the fence with 90 seconds to
go, trying to posture up and drop punches while Bryczek controls
the wrists. Bryczek switches to butterfly hooks and kicks Rowston
off, but Rowston dives back into his guard before he can get up.
Rowston smashes Bryczek with a couple of hard ground punches before
the horn. 10-9 Rowston.
Round 2
Rowston strikes first with a calf kick from distance. Bryczek
surges forward and Rowston tags him with a three-punch salvo. As
Bryczek backs off, Rowston gives chase, changing levels for a
double-leg attempt against the fence. Rowston can’t finish the
takedown and they circle away from the cage. Rowston comes forward
for another takedown attempt, which Bryczek intercepts with a front
headlock. Rowston pops his head out and finishes the takedown.
Rowston is in Bryczek’s full guard at the base of the cage,
posturing up and landing a couple of strikes. Rowston applies
shoulder pressure, sets up a possible arm-triangle choke and passes
to side control. Bryczek is surviving for the moment, but making no
moves to escape, let alone launch any offense of his own. Rowston
gives up on the choke, stands up from side control and nails
Bryczek with a couple of standing-to-ground punches. Rowston keeps
bombarding his man with long punches from above. Bryczek gets
Rowston back into guard, but this slows, rather than halts, the
onslaught. Thirty seconds to go and the round has been all Rowston
so far. Bryczek survives to hear the horn after a lopsided five
minutes. 10-9 Rowston.
Round 3
The momentum is all with the home fighter as they come out for
Round 3. They exchange punches in the center of the cage, with both
men landing bur Rowston getting the better of it. Rowston lands a
slapping left kick to the midsection. Rowston grabs the Thai clinch
and drives a knee up the middle, then lets go, changes levels as
Bryczek straightens, and plows him to the floor effortlessly.
Rowston sets up in half guard, lands a couple of strikes and passes
to side control. Rowston is riding high, weighing heavy on
Bryczek’s chest and possibly looking for a topside choke, but
slithers to his opponent’s back when Bryczek bridges. Rowston is on
Bryczek’s back for a moment, but Bryczek manages to spin back to
guard. Bryczek gets butterfly hooks, elevating Rowston, but
Rowston’s reach is such that he’s pelting him in the face anyway.
Rowston gets back to full guard, postures up and lands a couple of
elbows as he passes to half guard. Rowston passes to side control,
then takes back control when Bryczek turtles up. Bryczek gets back
to guard, but Rowston keeps throwing punches. Rowston shrugs off a
last-ditch leglock attempt and keeps dropping strikes until the
final horn. Dominant performance by Cam Rowston. 10-8 Rowston
(30-26 Rowston).
The Official Result
Cam Rowston def. Robert Bryczek via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)
Round 1
The main card opener features a couple of big men in desperate need
of a win, in the form of Tuivasa (14-9; 8-9 UFC), who is on a
four-fight skid, and Sutherland (10-5; 0-2 UFC), who is winless in
two tries in the Octagon. The third man in the cage will be Rich
Mitchell. The heavyweights touch gloves, then set up in matchin
orthodox stances. Sutherland touches with a calf kick, then
another. Sutherland drops levels and rushes forward in search of a
takedown. Tuivasa allows himself to be backed up to the fence,
where he defends with a front headlock. Sutherland gives up on the
takedown and they go back to work on the feet. Sutherland changes
levels again and puts Tuivasa on his seat with a double-leg.
Tuivasa refuses to concede the takedown, however, scooting on his
butt all the way to the fence, grabbing another guillotine and
returning to his feet. Tuivasa shucks him off and connects with a
flurry of punches on the break. Sutherland is hurt, and Tuivasa
nails him with an elbow to the head. Sutherland grabs hold of
Tuivasa and hustles him to the ground with what amounts to a shove,
then takes top position. At the midpoint of Round 1, it’s
Sutherland on top, dropping short punches and elbows. Tuivasa is
working to defend his face and get back to his feet, but Sutherland
is heavy on top and very methodical, pulling the Aussie’s base out
from under him. Under a minute to go and the Perth crowd grows
restive, but Sutherland is plenty active on top, throwing constant
punches from half guard. The horn sounds. 10-9 Sutherland.