The UFC’s light-heavyweight title is on the line at UFC 320 next weekend when current champ Magomed Ankalaev and former champ Alex Pereira throw down in an anticipated rematch. But one week before that Las Vegas showdown, Dominick Reyes and Carlos Ulberg meet in what could end up being a title eliminator.
Both 205-pound contenders are entering Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event from Perth, Australia, on impressive winning streaks, and whoever emerges victorious could potentially be in line to face the winner of Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2.
Reyes is a two-time title challenger who has rebounded from his notable four-fight losing streak that lasted from 2020 to 2022 with three consecutive knockout wins.
Ulberg, meanwhile, is currently riding the longest active winning streak in the entire division at eight in a row. Even Ankalaev, whose first and only loss came back in 2018, has only won three in a row after a 2022 draw with Jan Blachowicz and a 2023 no-contest with Johnny Walker.
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Light-heavyweight contenders Carlos Ulberg and Dominick Reyes headline action from Australia this weekend. Watch UFC Fight Night on Saturday, Sept. 27 on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet+ with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
California’s Reyes is 35 with eight years of UFC experience, including his oft-debated five-round decision loss to Jon Jones roughly 5.5 years ago. Following that UFC 247 loss to Jones, Reyes was knocked out in three consecutive fights by Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka and Ryan Spann.
After taking more than a year and a half to retool and regroup from his cold streak, Dom Reyes 2.0 emerged in 2024 with a two-minute knockout of Dustin Jacoby and a technical knockout of Anthony Smith later that year. The southpaw then pulled off an upset over Nikita Krylov in April with another knockout courtesy of a swift left-hand counter.
Reyes has climbed back into and up the rankings, currently sitting at No. 7 heading into his matchup with Ulberg, who has risen to No. 3 in the division.
Auckland, New Zealand’s Ulberg broke into the UFC while Reyes was in the midst of his losing streak.
Ulberg, 34, earned a UFC contract after winning on Dana White’s Contender Series late in 2020 in just his fourth professional bout, but was handed his first and only loss in his UFC debut when Kennedy Nzechukwu knocked him out at UFC 259.
Since then, Ulberg has refined his skill set and come into his own. Ulberg went on a lengthy finishing streak that included a 12-second knockout of Alonzo Menifield and has since broken into the upper tier of the light-heavyweight division with back-to-back decision wins over Volkan Oezdemir and a tightly contested March win over former titleholder Blachowicz.
“Anyone can be dangerous at this level. He’s obviously been in the game for a while, he’s fought some of the best competitors, some of the top guys in the division, and he’s on a resurgence,” Ulberg told Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter this week. “He’s had the down slip, but now he’s on the come up, so it’s a good time for me to be fighting Reyes at this point in time where he’s fired up and I’m on a mission as well. We’re both going to clash.”
The title picture could unfold in several different ways depending on how this weekend’s card and next weekend’s UFC 320 unfold.
If Pereira regains his title, then conceivably a trilogy bout with Ankalaev could be on the table.
Past title challengers Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. are also set to meet on the UFC 320 main card. Both have previous title fight stoppage losses to Pereira, but if Ankalaev defends the belt, then the winner of Prochazka vs. Rountree would be a fresh matchup.
If Ulberg extends his streak to nine consecutive victories, he can make a case to jump to next in line, and if Reyes continues his epic career turnaround, he could potentially do the same, considering his popularity and the story.
Later in October, Azamat Murzakanov faces Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 321, and the winner of that matchup, especially if it’s Murzakanov, will also be firmly in the title picture.
This weekend’s UFC Perth main event is one of three scheduled 205-pound matchups on the card, with Jimmy Crute vs. Ivan Erslan on the main card and Ulberg’s City Kickboxing teammate Navajo Stirling taking on Rodolfo Bellato in the featured preliminary fight.
UNDERCARD OVERVIEW
Quick turnaround for Rowston: Cameron Rowston will make his UFC debut after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series just five weeks ago. The middleweight picked up an impressive first-round TKO win over Brandon Holmes and asked to be placed on the Perth card. The 30-year-old from Sydney is a member of the City Kickboxing team out of New Zealand and has won four in a row overall. He is set to face 11-fight UFC veteran Andre Petroski on the preliminary card.
Rowston is one of 14 Contender Series alumni competing at UFC Perth this weekend. He’s also one of 10 Australians and one of four City Kickboxing members set for action.
Anticipated debut for Montague: Michelle Montague will look to impress when she makes her UFC debut against Luana Carolina. Montague became the first woman from New Zealand to sign with the UFC when she did so earlier this year. She is a 6-0 grappling specialist with all six of her wins coming via rear-naked choke submission. The 31-year-old will be making her 135-pound debut. She is coming from PFL, where she primarily fought at 145 pounds — she also fought once at 155 pounds — while Carolina is a former 125-pounder moving up a division for this matchup.
Brazil’s Carolina is riding a three-fight winning streak, has faced much tougher MMA competition than Montague and holds a notable previous win over Loopy Godinez. Montague and fellow New Zealander Navajo Sterling are the only fighters on the card who boast undefeated pro records.
Experienced welterweights meet on main card: Jake Matthews and Neil Magny are two of the most experienced 170-pound fighters on the UFC roster. Australia’s Matthews is already an 11-year and 22-fight UFC veteran despite being just 31 years old, while 38-year-old American Magny holds the record for most total welterweight appearances in UFC history with 35, as well as most wins with 23.
The only loss Matthews has suffered in his past five outings was a decision to undefeated top-10 contender Michael Morales. Matthews has won three in a row and is coming off a 69-second submission of Chidi Njokuani in July. Magny snapped a two-fight skid in early August with a technical knockout win over Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
New heavyweight addition: At the beginning of September, Croatia’s Ante Delija was successful in his UFC debut, knocking out top-10 fixture Marcin Tybura in just two minutes. At UFC Perth, another European heavyweight will look to make a positive impression in his debut as Scotland’s Louie Sutherland takes on 10-fight UFC veteran Justin Tafa. Sutherland is 10-3 with all but two of his wins coming via KO/TKO. Tafa is 7-5, with all of his wins coming by KO/TKO, but the New Zealander has lost his past two bouts, including a 35-second stoppage to Tallison Teixeira in February. Sutherland has recently been competing in the Netherlands-based Levels Fight League and won a title in his most recent appearance.
One bout cancelled: A 205-pound matchup between Junior Tafa and Ibo Aslan was removed from the card after Tafa sustained an injury. The bout is expected to get rescheduled at a future event. Both fighters were looking to get back in the win column. Tafa is the younger brother of Justin Tafa, so it would’ve been a rare instance that saw siblings compete on the same UFC card.
Projected bout order for UFC Perth (subject to change):
MAIN CARD
— Carlos Ulberg vs. Dominick Reyes
— Jimmy Crute vs. Ivan Erslan
— Jack Jenkins vs. Ramon Taveras
— Jake Matthews vs. Neil Magny
— Justin Tafa vs. Louie Sutherland
— Tom Nolan vs. Charlie Campbell
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Navajo Stirling vs. Rodolfo Bellato
— Cameron Rowston vs. Andre Petroski
— Jonathan Micallef vs. Oban Elliott
— Jamie Mullarkey vs. Rolando Bedoya
— Colby Thicknesse vs. Josias Musasa
— Michelle Montague vs. Luana Carolina
— Brando Pericic vs. Elisha Ellison
— Loma Lookboonmee vs. Alexia Thainara
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