The UFC’s return to Perth has some interesting fights on the card that the Bloody Elbow staff have had a tough time predicting.
A number of top Australian fighters, and some fantastic Kiwi ones too, are competing on the September 27 card at UFC Perth in the last stop before UFC 320.
The main event sees New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg battling Dominick Reyes in a clash that could determine the next challengers for the UFC Light Heavyweight belt.
Reyes bounced back well from a string of losses and is on the cusp of getting back into a top-ranked position in the division, although he has a tough opponent in Ulberg to deal with.
Here are the Bloody Elbow staff picks for UFC Perth, including the winners of the two main events, the fight of the night, and the performance of the night.
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Carlos Ulberg vs Dominick Reyes prediction
- Kyle Dimond: Carlos Ulberg
- Ross Markey: Carlos Ulberg
- Jordan Ellis: Dominick Reyes
- Harvey Leonard: Carlos Ulberg
- Hamish Woodward: Carlos Ulberg
The main event has a clear winner for all but one of the Bloody Elbow experts, as four of the five are backing Ulberg to continue his impressive record by beating Reyes on Saturday.
Ulberg has been unbeatable since a loss on his UFC debut, winning comfortable fights that have admittedly lacked excitement from time to time.
However, he is the #3-ranked Light Heavyweight for a reason, and this bout should be just another roadblock for the Black Jag on his way towards a fight with Magomed Ankalaev.
Reyes did bounce back from four losses in a row, which included Jon Jones’ controversial win over Reyes in 2020, but it doesn’t seem like he has enough in him to take home the win this weekend.
However, Jordan disagrees. He is backing the redemption arc of Reyes, as he sees the finishing ability of the American fighter as something Ulberg is lacking and what will take him over the line at UFC Perth.
Jimmy Crute vs Ivan Erslan prediction
- Kyle Dimond: Jimmy Crute
- Ross Markey: Jimmy Crute
- Jordan Ellis: Jimmy Crute
- Harvey Leonard: Jimmy Crute
- Hamish Woodward: Jimmy Crute
It is a clean sweep from the Bloody Elbow experts for the co-main event as all five back Jimmy Crute to pick up the win over Ivan Erslan in his native Australia.
After losing the original co-main event of the show, UFC has moved Crute vs Erslan into that spot in what appears to be a very predictable fight.
“The Brute” Crute is an Australian fighter who will be right at home in Perth as he looks to get back on track. He has won only once since 2021, submitting Marcin Prachnio in his last fight at UFC 318.
However, his Croatian opponent is doing even worse, having lost his only two fights in the UFC so far, and could be seeing his time in the promotion end with a predicted loss at UFC Perth.
UFC Perth Fight of the Night prediction
- Kyle Dimond: Jack Jenkins vs Ramon Tavares
- Ross Markey: Jack Jenkins vs Ramon Tavares
- Jordan Ellis: Jimmy Crute vs Ivan Erslan
- Harvey Leonard: Jamie Mullarkey vs Rolando Bedoya
- Hamish Woodward: Jack Jenkins vs Ramon Tavares
There is a mixture of picks for the UFC Perth Fight of the Night, which includes three experts choosing the main card Featherweight bout as their winner.
Jack Jenkins and Ramon Tavares may be fairly unknown in the UFC so far, but they have the chance to break out with a Fight of the Night performance on September 27.
Since earning his UFC deal on Dana White’s Contender Series, Jenkins has had a tough time in the octagon, going 3-2 in a failed attempt to build up momentum.
However, he could be one of the breakout stars at UFC Perth with a victory over Tavares.
Meanwhile, Jordan thinks the Crute/Erslan fight will wow the fans, as the hometown star has the chance to impress against a fighter who could go down spectacularly at the end of the night.
Finally, Harvey has a preliminary fight on his mind as he predicts the Lightweight clash between Jamie Mullarkey and Rolando Bedoya will earn both men the big bonus on Saturday.
UFC Perth Performance of the Night prediction
- Kyle Dimond: Jake Matthews
- Ross Markey: Oban Elliott
- Jordan Ellis: Jake Matthews
- Harvey Leonard: Jake Matthews
- Hamish Woodward: Jake Matthews
Four of the five Bloody Elbow staff are certain that Jake Matthews will impress enough at UFC Perth to earn the new increased bonus for the Performance of the Night award.
The veteran Matthews is battling another UFC fixture in Neil Magny on the main card. He will attempt to stop Magny from breaking another UFC record with a victory, but will need to bring out the spectacular in order to do so.
However, Ross is backing Oban Elliot to get back on track at UFC Perth by beating Jonathan Micallef in spectacular fashion on the prelims.
The “Welsh Gangster” won his first three UFC fights in a row, including an impressive knockout win at UFC 309, but hasn’t fought since June’s defeat to Seok Hyeon Ko.
He will attempt to get back into form with a win here, although it will take something special to beat the 12-3 Micallef in Perth on Saturday.