Navajo Stirling defeated Rodolfo Bellato at UFC Perth. Photo: Reproduction/X.
Rodolfo Bellato couldn't find answers to Navajo Stirling's movement and complexity and ended up losing by unanimous decision in the last fight of the preliminary card of UFC Perth, on Saturday night (27). With the victory, the New Zealander from City Kickboxing remained undefeated as a professional fighter and reached his eighth consecutive victory, with three of them in the Ultimate. The Brazilian, on the other hand, reached his third fight without a victory after the draw against Jimmy Crute and the no-contest against Paul Craig.
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The two fighters exchanged strength in the clinch against the big fighter at various points in the first round, but the New Zealander found success when the fight settled into the long range. Seemingly having better range awareness, Stirling moved laterally and landed solid punches on the Brazilian, who was forced to retreat at key moments.
Bellato tried to be more aggressive in the second round, but was thwarted by the New Zealander's excellent movement. In addition to his stand-up fighting, Stirling also scored a successful takedown in the second round. After knocking the São Paulo native against the fence, he landed solid punches and elbows from above, controlling his opponent for most of the round.
Aware of the adverse situation, Rodolfo returned for the final five minutes with great aggression, but was hit with several punches to the waistline. Comfortable with the advantage built in the previous ten minutes, Stirling avoided more open exchanges and remained confident with the help of feints, lateral movement, and good jabs to Bellato's face.
At the end of the 15-minute match, two judges scored 30 to 27 for the New Zealander while another saw 29 to 28 also in his favor.
Cam Roston debuts with a beautiful knockout
Cam Rowston in victory at UFC Perth. Photo: Reproduction/X.
Hometown favorite Cam Rowston thrilled the Perth crowd by knocking out Andre Petroski in the first round of the penultimate fight on the preliminary card, in a middleweight bout (up to 83,9 kg). With the victory, the City Kickboxing prospect debuted in the company with the best possible performance after convincing Dana White of his talent in the Contender Series in August of this year.
Clearly more comfortable standing up, Rowston moved well and knew how to lead the fight, landing powerful kicks to his opponent's waistline. Just as Petroski tried to close the distance to inflict some damage on the Australian, he was hit by a counter-cross that sent him to the ground.
Rowston maintained his aggression on the ground with heavy punches. Initially, Petroski repeatedly threatened his opponent, attempting armbars from the guard. To no avail. The Australian again landed heavy blows to the American's face and head, forcing the referee to stop the fight at two minutes and 41 seconds into the first round.
Cam Rowston vs Andre Petroski#UFCPerth pic.twitter.com/Y2W4ur71cw
— ▂ ▃ ▅ MMA FIGHTING SUMMARIES ▅ ▃ ▂ (@mmafightt) September 28, 2025
Charles's Bronx partner suffers another defeat
Jamie Mullarkey in victory against Rolando Bedoya at UFC Perth. Photo: Reproduction/X.
In the only lightweight (up to 70,3 kg) bout on the preliminary card, Jamie Mullarkey broke his two-fight losing streak by defeating Rolando Bedoya via unanimous decision. The Peruvian, a Chute Boxe Diego Lima graduate and training partner of Charles Oliveira, suffered his fourth consecutive defeat and has yet to win in the UFC.
With a very tight grappling game, Mullarkey avoided his opponent's standing attacks and closed the distance without much difficulty. He secured the takedown and transitioned to the Peruvian's back. Bedoya managed to avoid the submission and managed to break free at times, but was completely dominated on the ground.
The American's lack of balance on the ground allowed him to have some good moments on his feet as well. In the second round, he landed some solid punching combinations and, after forcing his opponent to retreat, returned to the grappling game. Bedoya tried to change the course of the fight in the final five minutes. With solid punches and elbows, the Peruvian opened cuts on Mullarkey's face, but was unable to seal the deal.
Thus, all three judges scored 29 to 28 in favor of the American, who reached the mark of six triumphs in the biggest MMA organization in the world.
Volkanovski's partner wins first UFC fight
Colby Thicknesse in victory at UFC Perth. Photo: Reproduction/X.
With Alexander Volkanovski in his corner, Colby Thicknesse showed great resilience and defeated Josias Musasa in a bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg) bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the fourth fight of the night. With this result, the Australian recovered from his loss against Aleksandre Topuria and fulfilled his dream of winning in the world's largest MMA organization for the first time. The Congolese fighter, on the other hand, suffered his second consecutive defeat and is still without a win in the UFC.
Musasa adopted an aggressive stance from the opening moments of the fight. He dominated the center of the octagon and cornered his opponent against the cage, posing a threat with powerful punching combinations. Thicknesse countered the Congolese fighter's momentum with a solid takedown from the clinch and transitioned to mount in the first round, landing solid strikes from above and securing a powerful choke.
This dynamic repeated itself throughout most of the fight. Despite causing damage while the fight was standing, such as a cut on Thicknesse's left leg, Musasa was unable to avoid the Australian's efficient grappling game.
At the end of the 15-minute fight, the judges declared Colby Thicknesse the winner by unanimous decision, with all scores of 29 to 28 in favor of the Australian.
Read More about: Colby Thicknesse, Jamie Mullarkey, Josias Musasa, Navajo Stirling, Rodolfo Bellato, Rolando Bedoya
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