Shamil Gaziev was handed his second straight knockout defeat during a chaotic bout at UFC Perth.
The event, held on Saturday, marked the promotion’s latest return to Australia. It was headlined by a welterweight matchup between Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates.
Heavyweights opened the main card, with Tai Tuivasa dropping his seventh consecutive fight in the opener against Louie Sutherland.
The next bout featured 14th-ranked Shamil Gaziev, who was hoping to get back in the win column against Brando Pericic, known as ‘The Balkan Bear’.
Pericic finishes Gaziev after a back-and-forth first round
Both fighters came out aggressive right from the start, neither one looking to ease into the bout. It was clear they were looking for a quick finish.
Pericic landed some early leg kicks, while Gaziev tried to take the fight to the ground. The Australian popped back up fairly quickly, though, showing good awareness.
The two then traded heavy shots in the middle of the Octagon, with Pericic snapping Gaziev’s head back more than once.
With just over 30 seconds left in the round, Gaziev landed a clean shot of his own. But Pericic responded well and managed to finish strong.
In the second round, ‘The Balkan Bear’ kept targeting the legs while Gaziev continued pressing forward, but it was clear he was starting to slow down after eating another flurry of punches.
Even though both men were beginning to tire, it was Pericic who found another gear late in the round. He connected with two big right hands that finally dropped Gaziev for good.
After his win over a ranked opponent like Gaziev, there’s a good chance Pericic will break into the heavyweight top 15 rankings. During his post-fight interview, he called for a fight on UFC Serbia later this year.
The promotion recently announced that they’ll be heading to Belgrade on August 1st for their first-ever event in Serbia, and fans will surely want him featured on that card.
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