The UFC has finally dropped the first round of confirmed fights for the promotion’s return to Australia on September 27.
A staple of the UFC’s international calendar, Australia last hosted a UFC eventn August of last year with UFC 312, which took place at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena and saw UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis defeat Sean Strickland in a rematch of their previous title fight.
The UFC will be on the road for much of its remaining 2025 schedule, and the promotion is set to return to Perth on September 27 for a UFC Fight Night event. With just over two months to go until the UFC heads back to RAC Arena, the promotion has officially announced the card’s first four fights.
Doo Ho Choi vs. Daniel Santos
The longest-tenured of the initial eight UFC fighters booked to fight in Perth, Doo Ho Choi fought to a draw with Kyle Nelson in 2023 following his mandatory military service in South Korea before he stopped Bill Algeo last July for his first win since 2016.
“The Korean Superboy” followed the Algeo victory with another stoppage-win against Nate Landwehr, and now Choi will try to match the longest winning streak of his UFC career in Perth when he meets Daniel Santos, who lost his promotional debut to Julio Arce but has rebounded with three-straight victories.
Navajo Stirling vs. Rodolfo Bellato
A perfect 7-0 in his professional MMA career and 2-0 in the UFC, New Zealand’s Navajo Stirling will square off with Rodolfo Bellato in a battle between Dana White’s Contender Series contract winners.
Navajo Stirling (red gloves) fights Ivan Erslan (blue gloves) during UFC 315 at Bell Centre. / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Bellato debuted with a second-round finish against Ihor Potieira before he fought to a draw with Jimmy Crute, and the Brazilian will be eager to get back on track against Stirling after his most recent outing against Paul Craig ended in the first round due to an illegal upkick.
Loma Lookboonmee vs. Alexia Thainara
Riding the momentum of four-straight wins, Loma Lookboonmee is currently sitting at #14 in the UFC’s strawweight rankings.
Loma Lookboonmee (red gloves) reacts after defeating Elise Reed (red gloves) during UFC 284 at RAC Arena. / Jasmin Frank-Imagn Images
The 29-year-old gets an interesting test in Perth against Alexia Thainara, who won a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last year before she made her formal Octagon debut in March and submitted fan favorite Molly McCann in the second round.
Colby Thicknesse vs. Josias Musasa
After they both joined the UFC as undefeated talents, Colby Thicknesse and Josias Musasa will each try and secure their first wins in the promotion when they square off on September 27.
Australia’s Thicknesse dropped a decision to fellow UFC debutant Aleksandre Topuria (brother of Ilia) at UFC 312, while Musasa missed weight ahead of his own debut in March before being submitted by Carlos Vera in a massive upset.
A potential No. 1 contender’s bout at light heavyweight is booked with Carlos Ulberg clashing with Dominick Reyes in the new main event just announced for the upcoming UFC Fight Night card in Perth, Australia on Sept. 27.
UFC officials announced the pairing on Tuesday.
For Ulberg, the main event serves as a chance to fight close to home with the New Zealand native attempting to build on his eight fight win streak in the UFC. Following a loss to Kennedy Nzechukwu back in 2021, Ulberg rattled off the eight wins, which included victories over former champion Jan Blachowicz and one-time title challenger Volkan Oezdemir.
Ulberg attempts to make it nine in a row while facing a surging contender in Reyes, who has found new life since making his return to action back in 2024 following a lengthy layoff.
Widely regarded as the man who potentially defeated Jon Jones when they met just over five years ago, Reyes struggled in the wake that controversial decision loss. He dropped his next three fights in row with every single one ending in a vicious knockout.
After taking a year and a half off, Reyes returned in impressive fashion with a knockout of his own delivered to Dustin Jacoby before doing the same to Anthony Smith and Nikita Krylov.
If he can get past Ulberg in September, Reyes might find himself right back in the hunt for another title shot at 205 pounds with reigning champion Magomed Ankalaev about to face Alex Pereira in a rematch at UFC 320 in August.
Ulberg vs. Reyes headlines the UFC Perth card with more fights expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
I hope Reyes KOs this boring point fighter