The greatest sport on the planet returns to the greatest country in the world this weekend when UFC Fight Night heads west again to Perth, Australia.
With a card packed full of Australian fighters, the locals are sure to be out in droves, and we can expect a loud crowd to pack the RAC Arena on Sunday.
Two top 10 Light Heavyweights will headline the event when Carlos Ulberg continues his rise in the division by taking on Dominick Reyes.
There are a host of quality fights on the card and our thoughts and betting plays can be found below.
New Zealand born Carlos Ulberg won a UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020 and despite a loss in his UFC debut, he has now won eight fights in a row.
He knocked out Alonzo Menifield in the first round early last year before winning decisions over Volkan Oezdemir and Jan Blachowicz in his last couple of fights.
Ulberg has climbed to third in the Light Heavyweight rankings on the back of this winning streak and another victory will certainly put him right in title conversation.
Dominick Reyes had a tough time of it after ‘losing’ in a title fight to Jon Jones back in February of 2020.
After that close decision loss, Reyes lost his next three fights by knockout to put his career at a crossroads.
After 18 months on the sidelines, the picture looks completely different now after three KO wins against quality opponents leading into this fight in Perth.
Both of these men have exceptional power and the ability to end the fight with one strike but I am much more confident in the chin of Ulberg than his opponent.
Horse racing enthusiast and all round good guy Jack Jenkins returns to the UFC octagon this weekend and this time it is on the main card and in front of his home fans.
He has had five fights in the UFC for three wins but he was severely injured in both defeats.
Not only did he face one of the most exciting young fighters in the entire featherweight division in Gabriel Santos in February this year, but his thyroid cartilage was snapped during the fight which would have made it very difficult!
Ramon Taveras had a pro record of 7-1 before entering the Contender Series where he lost his first fight by knockout but earned a contract thanks to a first round knockout win of his own five weeks later.
He avenged that knockout loss by beating the same opponent via split decision in his UFC debut but was then defeated by Davey Grant in his last appearance in the octagon.
This looks a great setup for the local Jack Jenkins who has an array of weapons at his disposal including vicious leg kicks and powerful boxing.
Jimmy Crute is one of the most popular fighters within Australia and he’s sure to get a loud cheer when he makes the walk on Sunday afternoon.
After winning the first 10 fights of his pro career, not everything has gone to plan in recent years.
He has won just three of his last eight fights but two of those were no contests and he suffered ‘foot drop’ after a leg kick against Anthony Smith which was unlucky.
At just 29 years-of-age there is plenty of fight left in Crute and the BJJ black belt will be looking to secure another win in front of his home crowd.
Ivan Erslan is a Croatian fighter who has lost both his fights in the UFC since making his debut this time last year.
In fact he has won just two of his last six and I can’t help but think this is a favourable match up in the hope the local fighter gets back in the win column.