This weekend (Sat., May 2, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will venture forth to RAC Arena in Perth, Australia for UFC Perth. Set those alarm clocks ladies and gentleman! For once, the Australian fans will get to enjoy a fight card at their appropriate local hour, which means anyone in the US who wants to tune in will have to stay up real late or wake up very early. Those who are willing to tune in will enjoy a dynamite striking matchup between former champion Jack Della Maddalena and fearsome
knockout artist Carlos Prates, which is nearly guaranteed to entertain. As one would expect, the rest of the card highlights Oceania’s finest fighters and up-and-comers.
Let’s dig into the analysis and predictions of the three main card fights leading up to the co-main event:
Flyweight: Tim Elliott (-400) vs. Steve Erceg (+285)
Best Win for Elliott? Tagir Ulanbekov For Erceg? Matt Schnell
Current Streak: Elliott has won two in a row, while Erceg rebounded last time out
X-Factor: Elliott is 39, though seemingly ageless
How these two match up: This is a great booking of Top 10 Flyweights, though the odds are way out of whack.
The only man to defeat Elliott in the last four years in Muhammad Mokaev, one of the very best 125-pounders in the world. Despite his age, Elliott’s wrestling and physical strength are holding up extremely well, and his submissions are perhaps more dangerous than ever. Conversely, Erceg has looked shaky after nearly capturing UFC gold in his fourth UFC fight. A talented boxer with a jiu-jitsu black belt, 30-year-old Erceg should have the skills to be a contender if he can put it all together.
Like everyone else, I lost a bit of confidence in Erceg in his last three fight. Getting cracked by Kai Kara-France and out-foxed by Brandon Moreno are understandable losses, but he looked quite uncertain of himself against a middling Ode Osbourne. He earned the win, but this is a big step back up in competition.
Fortunately for the Australian, this feels like a more favorable style matchup. His recent struggles have come when getting countered on the feet, and that’s just not Elliott’s game. He doesn’t throw with the venom needed to hurt Erceg, which means “Astro Boy” should be able to pop the jab and build combinations. When Elliott moves to wrestle, Erceg has shown the skills needed to both deny shots and scramble as needed.
The result should be competitive fight in which Erceg slowly takes over as damage and fatigue build up.
Prediction: Erceg via decision
Heavyweight: Shamil Gaziev (+110) vs. Brando Pericic (-140)
Best Win for Gaziev? Martin Buday For Pericic? Louie Sutherland
Current Streak: Gaziev lost his last bout, whereas Pericic is 2-0 in the UFC
X-Factor: Brando Pericic is still very new to MMA at 6-1
How these two match up: Hard-hitting Heavyweights will throw down.
Five fights into his UFC career, Gaziev has earned a spot in the Top 15 … which doesn’t mean that much given there’s only about 25 Heavyweights, but nevertheless! He’s a knockout artist with a big right hand who can occasionally land a takedown too. Pericic, meanwhile, is a City Kickboxing prospect with a background in professional kickboxing. Both of his UFC wins have ended quickly, as Pericic overwhelmed his opponents with the variety and power in his striking attack.
I am loathe to pretend this bout can be predicted with any degree of certainty. We’re talking about two sluggers with far more focus on offense than defense. Gaziev has the advantages of experience and wrestling, whereas Pericic is the younger fighter with more weapons on the feet. There are reasons to believe in either man, yet it must be acknowledged that a knockout in the other direction would also make sense.
Personally, I’ll go with Gaziev, who has only lost to established Top 10 talent thus far. Pericic is a good talent with a great camp behind him, but it’s a little early for him to contend.
Prediction: Gaziev via knockout
Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa (-184) vs. Louie Sutherland (+142)
Best Win for Tuivasa? Derrick Lewis For Sutherland? Renato Rangel
Current Streak: Tuivasas has lost SIX straight, while Sutherland is 0-2 inside the Octagon
X-Factor: Where is Tuivasa’s head at after all those losses?
How these two match up: The last stand of Tai Tuivasa.
The rise of “Bam Bam” was an awful long time ago even if the fighter doesn’t seem to have changed much. He’s still durable and dangerous with his powerful setups, but his ground game is just an absolute black hole of ability. That’s not the only liability either, as Tuivasa could’ve easily won his last bout if he didn’t gas out so terribly. Fortunately, Sutherland isn’t very good! The English Heavyweight was a knockout artist on the regional scene, but in the Octagon, he’s found almost no success.
Tuivasa should win here. This is the exact level of competition that he demolishes quickly thanks to his hand speed and offensive craftiness. Sutherland could conceivably wrestle his way to victory, but it’s not like he’s a dedicated ground specialist himself.
It’s Heavyweight, and anything could happen, but Tuivasa should bounce back here.
