UFC Perth featured 13 bouts with Carlos Prates defeating Jack Della Maddalena via third-round TKO in the main event. Quillan Salkilld upset Beneil Dariush with a first-round TKO, while Steve Erceg outpointed Tim Elliott by unanimous decision. Other notable results included Marwan Rakhiki's first-round TKO of Ollie Schmid and Brendo Pericic's second-round knockout of Shamil Gaziev. The card featured multiple finishes and competitive decisions across various weight classes. Junior Tafa, Jacob Malkoun, and Wes Schultz were among other winners on the Australian event.
UFC Perth delivered a night of finishes on the Australian card, headlined by Carlos Prates stopping Jack Della Maddalena via third-round TKO to claim the main event honors. The 13-bout card produced multiple stoppages across several weight classes and kept a home crowd engaged throughout.
The biggest upset of the evening came in the lightweight division, where Quillan Salkilld dispatched ranked veteran Beneil Dariush by TKO in the first round. Salkilld, 26, is a rising Australian prospect out of Luistro Combat Academy who now sits at 12-1-0 and holds the No. 15 ranking at 155 pounds. He averages an impressive 5.16 significant strikes per minute at 57 percent accuracy and pairs that output with a remarkable 7.95 takedowns per 15 minutes. Dariush, by contrast, entered the fight as the No. 8-ranked lightweight at 37 years old with a record of 23-8-1. The American southpaw from Kings MMA had long been considered a gatekeeper-level threat in the division, averaging 3.78 significant strikes per minute and 2.11 takedowns per 15 minutes across his career.
In the flyweight division, Steve "Astroboy" Erceg moved back toward contention with a unanimous decision win over Tim Elliott. The 30-year-old Australian, who trains out of Wilkes Martial Arts, improved to 14-4-0 and sits at No. 9 in the flyweight rankings. Erceg averages four significant strikes per minute and contributes takedown threats at 1.15 per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Salkilld's stoppage of the No. 8-ranked Dariush is a statement win that could push the Australian into the lightweight top ten
- Erceg's decision victory keeps him relevant in a competitive flyweight division where ranking movement is constant
- Prates defeating Della Maddalena in the main event removes a prominent Australian contender from the welterweight picture
- The depth of finishes across the card reinforces Perth as a reliable market for UFC events
