On Tuesday the UFC announced that they are returning to Western Australia for UFC Perth on Sunday 28 September.

This will mark the third UFC event which RAC arena has hosted in the past three years. Last time out Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title against rival and former champion Israel Adesanya via submission in Round 4 at UFC 305.

While this current UFC event in September is a Fight Night, and not a PPV, the card is looking like it could be stacked with heaps of Australasian talent.

See which fighters could feature on the card below:

MAIN EVENT

The main event is almost guaranteed to be either Carlos Ulberg vs Jiří Procházka or Israel Adesanya vs Sean Strickland 2.

Why would the main event be Carlos Ulberg vs Jiří Procházka?

At the start of July Jiří Procházka openly called out New Zealander Carlos Ulberg, after Procházka got into a Twitter battle with current light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev.

The current champion originally said he didn’t want to fight either Jiří Procházka or Alex Pereira, but instead wanted to fight Carlos Ulberg.

“Let me fight Carlos, I think he’s more dangerous than all of them,” Ankalaev tweeted.

Procházka responded, insisting that he wants to fight Ulberg next, and it seems the UFC matchmakers are leaning that way as well.

Carlos Ulberg has been on an absolute tear recently, with the light heavyweight on an 8-fight winning streak, most recently defeating former champion Jan Błachowicz in March.

Former champion Jiří Procházka is also coming off a January victory over Jamahal Hill, with his only losses ever in the UFC coming from Brazilian star Alex Pereira.

It is heavily rumoured right now that Magomed Ankalaev will be defending his belt against former champion Alex Pereira, leaving Ulberg and Procházka without an opponent to fight right now.

This means the only option the UFC have with the pair is to book them against each other in a title-eliminator bout. The only question is: What card will the UFC book the fight for?

The timing seems to be lining up perfectly for UFC Perth, and this could be a violent main event between two light heavyweight brutes, which will not go the distance.

Why would the main event be Israel Adesanya vs Sean Strickland 2?

Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya has made it clear that he wants a late 2025 return, and he wants a rematch against Sean Strickland.

In 2023, Strickland shocked the world, pulling off a massive underdog victory against Adesanya, who was the champion at the time. That loss in Sydney was the start of Izzy’s 3-fight losing streak, and he wants to get his loss back against the American.

“Most likely, I’m gonna guess mid-September, October,” Adesanya told Ariel Helwani about his potential return date.

When the New Zealander was asked who he wanted to fight, his response was clear.

“Sean (Strickland). No question,” Adesanya admitted.

“He lost his last fight, I lost my last fight.

“And it’s like, ‘Alright cool, want a rematch?”

While the timing lines up perfectly for the The Last Stylebender to rematch the No. 2 ranked Sean Strickland at UFC Perth, the only problem is that Sean Strickland hasn’t publicly entertained the idea of facing off against the man which he won the middleweight belt against.

All eyes are now on Sean Strickland to see if he accepts the rematch against Israel Adesanya.

WHO COULD BE ON THE REST OF THE CARD?

Dan Hooker vs Rafael Fiziev After Rafael Fiziev won his co-main event against Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Baku last month, he instantly called out New Zealand’s Dan “The Hangman” Hooker.

“In my mind, first one after this tall guy is Dan Hooker,” Fiziev told the UFC Baku post-fight press conference.

“He’s one more tall guy. I like to fight tall guys.

“How many crazy fights (has) he had? And he deserves one more crazy fight.”

While the No. 7 ranked Dan Hooker is still recovering from a broken hand, September could be enough time for Hooker’s injury to recover.

We know Dan Hooker will never turn down a fight, and this bout could definitely be Fight of The Night, if it gets booked.

Jake Matthews vs Gilbert Burns

Victorian Jake Matthews just came off a quick Round 1 submission victory last weekend, and called out former title-contender Gilbert Burns in his octagon interview.

Burns is currently on a 4-fight losing streak, and Matthews believes it’s time for him to enter the welterweight top 15, by defeating the No. 10 ranked Gilbert Burns.

While September may be too much of a quick turnaround for Jake Matthews, if he can get straight back into a training camp, then Jake Matthews vs Gilbert Burns could be featured on the UFC Perth card.

Tai Tuivasa

This could very well be the card that fan-favourite Tai Tuivasa makes his long-awaited return.

Bam Bam hasn’t fought since UFC 305 on August 18 2024 in Perth, and the UFC Perth card would mark a year-long layoff for the heavyweight if he returns.

The timeline is lining up perfectly, but it all depends on whether Tai chooses to come back yet or not.

Justin Tafa

Justin “Bad Man” Tafa last fought in February at UFC 312 in Sydney.

The timeline is perfect for Tafa’s return, and Perth could be in for a treat.

The UFC love the Tafa brothers, as they just stand and bang. So, expect to see the older brother, Justin, on this fight card.

Quillan Salkilld

Coming off a 19-second knockout in Sydney at UFC 312, and an impressive decision victory at UFC 316, Quillan Salkilld has confirmed that he wants to fight on the main card at UFC Perth.

“I’m ready to go for the Perth card,” Salkilld told Australian MMA.

“So, I’ll be looking to get on that and hopefully nick a main card spot.”

When asked who he wants to fight, Salkilld admitted he will fight anyone.

“I’ll take anyone, I don’t care.”

Jack Jenkins

The Victorian leg kick specialist has already confirmed he has a fight booked on the UFC Perth card, however Jenkins hasn’t revealed who his opponent will be yet.

“Booked,” Jenkins revealed on his Instagram.

Colby Thicknesse

Featherweight champion and Australian legend Alex Volkanovksi’s main training partner Colby Thicknesse lost his UFC debut to Ilia Topuria’s brother at UFC 312 in Sydney.

With Thicknesse’s last fight coming in February, he should be on UFC Perth.

Tom Nolan

Tom “Big Train” Nolan is in the same boat as Justin Tafa and Colby Thicknesse, with his last bout coming in February at UFC 312.

This prospect loves a knockout, and if he gets on the UFC Perth card expect fireworks.

Jamie Mullarkey

The Aussie’s last fight was a KO loss against Brazilian Fighting Nerd Mauricio Ruffy in May last year at UFC 301.

With Mullarkey fully recovered from that loss now, the timing lines up perfectly for the Central Coast fighter to return in September.

Casey O’Neill

Similar to Tai Tuivasa, the Scottish and Australian women’s flyweight last fought at UFC 305, last year in Perth.

The timing is lining up perfectly for her return, so don’t be surprised if you see Casey “King” O’Neill fighting on UFC Perth.

Stewart Nicoll

Stewart Nicoll’s last fight was also on the UFC 305 card, where he lost his UFC debut.

Nicoll was scheduled to fight in February at UFC 312 in Sydney, but that bout was cancelled, leaving the door wide open for Nicoll to return here at UFC Perth.

With plenty of exciting fights set to be made for UFC Perth, this Fight Night could be one of the most stacked Fight Night’s this year.