UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski – Main card results, highlights – Della Maddalena lives up to the hype

Stay up to date with what’s happening today with the UFC 284 PPV main card, which is going down from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

This article will focus on the first-three fights on the main card, which will begin with a 205-pound tilt between Australia’s own Jimmy Crute and his American counterpart Alonzo Menifield. After that we move into the heavyweight division, where another Australian in Justin Tafa will tangle with another American in Parker Porter. Last up for this post we will be covering a welterweight match between Perth’s own Jack Della Maddalena, and his toughest test to date, ‘Rude Boy’ Randy Brown.

The early prelims begin at 6:00pm ET/3:00pm, PT, immediately followed by the regular preliminary card. Both broadcasts can be streamed on ESPN+. The PPV main card is slated for 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT, and can be purchased on ESPN+.

Main card:

Jack Della Maddalena def. Randy Brown by submission (RNC) at 2:13 of round 1: Welterweight

Della Maddalena took the center of the Octagon right away, with Brown playing to the outside. Jack was was having trouble with the range of Brown at first, but as soon as he caught Randy in the pocket, he made it count. He dropped Brown with a looping right hook that caused him to faceplant, and then pounced on him with ground strikes. He then took the back and quickly sank a rear-naked choke to get the tap. This man is special!

Justin Tafa def. Parker Porter by KO at 1:06 of round 1: Heavyweight

Porter came out being busy. Throwing volume at Tafa, despite not really scoring with much. Then KABOOM!!! Tafa uncorked a beautiful short left hook on the inside that put Parker out! There was no need for any follow up. Yikes!

Jimmy Crute vs. Alonzo Menifield ended in a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28): Light Heavyweight

A brawl broke out to get this one going, until Crute changed levels to hit a takedown. From there, Crute began grinding away. Snagging takedowns, making Menifield work to get up, just to put him right back down. Crute went for a guillotine, but that gave Menifield the space he needed to get up. Back to brawling they went, until Crute shot again. Menifield managed to get on top with Crute in the turtle position, and scored with some strong ground strikes. Crute worked his way to his feet, but Menifield badly buckled him with a stiff straight. That’s where the round ended.

Menifield scored another early knockdown to open the second round, and went back to being on top of turtle. Crute was in big trouble, and Menifield was giving him no space. Somehow Crute stood back to his feet, but that’s where Menifield is most dangerous. More flush punches landed for Menifield, but Crute was getting in a few strikes of his own. Crute even pulled off a takedown and scrambled to the back, and worked for a rear-naked choke until the bell sounded.

The light heavyweights began slugging it out again to open the final act. Oddly enough, Crute seemed to be the fresher of the two. Jimmy started to wrestle, but Alonzo grabbed the fence which resulted in a huge point deduction. The fight restarted in the same position, and Crute continued to force the grappling. Eventually Crute found a way to get Menifield down, and proceeded to impose his will on the ground. Menifield finally stood to his feet, just in time for the fight to be over. What a fight!

About the author: Eddie Mercado has covered combat sports since 2015. He covers everything from betting odds to live events and fighter interviews. He holds a 1-0 record in pro MMA and holds a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu. (full bio)