The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to down under is in the books, and it was an interesting one at that. A super-fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski ended in an objective robbery as Makhachev retained his lightweight title.

Earlier that night, a new title challenger at 145 emerged as Yair Rodriguez submitted Josh Emmet via triangle choke to become the interim featherweight champion, also giving Mexico its second-ever UFC Champion.

With a card that had so many exits due to injury or contract dispute, it’s safe to say that Perth (similar to Rio) delivered. Now that the card has concluded, lets give a re-cap.

Jimmy Crute vs Alonzo Menifield

The classic matchup of striker vs grappler: Jimmy Crute vs Alonzo Menifield.

Crute has had a year-long layoff after two losses vs Jamahal Hill and Anthony Smith. Clinging on to his ranking spot, he would need a win to stay in the top 15, as a loss would likely mean his exit from the rankings.

Menifield, on the other hand, is an active and rising 205 lb fighter looking to establish a name for himself. Like his nickname “Atomic” entails, he is incredibly powerful with sharp and dynamic striking, and a win over No. 12 in the rankings would certainly catapult him into the top 15.

After winning 20-18 on all three judges scorecards, Crute got him against the cage and referee Marc Goddard saw Menifield reach around the cage, which is an illegal move. This ended up being the difference-maker as the bout ended in a majority draw.

Official Result: Majority Draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)

Parker Porter vs Justin Tafta

The lone heavyweight bout on the card is here. 2 unranked fighters look to make a splash.

For a heavyweight, Parker Porter has very sloppy striking. His losses have come by finishes, which is, in part, due to his striking. Justin Tafta exploited that as he picked him apart within the first minute on the feet.

After charging forward recklessly with his hands down, Tafta unleashed a brutal left hand that stunned Porter and a lead uppercut that got the American to the ground. One hammerfist later, referee Jason Herzog waved off the fight, giving Tafta the KO win.

Official Result: Justin Tafta via KO (Rd 1:06)

Jack Della Maddalena vs Randy Brown

Two welterweights with win streaks entered in the featured bout of UFC 284, and one will leave likely with a number next to his name.

Maddalena finished all of his wins, with the exception of his decision victory in his Dana White Contender Series bout over Ange Loosa.

Brown was coming into the fight on a four-fight winning streak and looking to potentially get a number next to his name.

The fight wasn’t all that close. Maddalena was the heavy favorite and he rightfully showed it, throwing flurries of punches in the opening round. When the fight went to the ground, JDM made quick work of him, ending the fight with a rear-naked choke.

Official Result: Jack Della Madelena via RD 1 2:13 Submission (Rear Naked Choke)

Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmet

The fight to determine the next 145 lb title challenger was between the powerful wrestler Josh Emmet vs the crafty Yair Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is the former ultimate fighter winner. He’s one of the most crafty and unorthodox kickboxers in the UFC, with wins over Brian Ortega and Jeremy Stephens.

Emmet is a very unorthodox guy himself. His wrestling opens up his powerful right hand, and his powerful right hand opens up his wrestling. He can end the fight with one punch and also keep his opponent on the ground.

Round one was as advertised: A striking match that gave the edge to Yair due to him throwing hard kicks to both the body and the legs, as well as his elusiveness.

Round two was odd. The fight ended up on the ground quickly. Shortly after, Rodriguez became the interim featherweight champion after finishing Emmet with a triangle choke. With this win, Yair became the second-ever UFC Champion from Mexico behind current flyweight champion Brandon Moreno.

Official Result: Yair Rodriguez via Triangle Choke RD 2 4:19

Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski

The main event arrived. PFP #1 vs PFP #2. Featherweight King vs Lightweight King. One of the biggest, if not the biggest, fights of the year finally commenced.

Islam won gold at UFC 280 vs Charles Oliveira. The Dagestani is an incredibly strong wrestler who has run through almost all the opponents on his way to the title and is looking to make his first title defense.

Volkanovski has been nothing short of dominant at featherweight. With little left to do at 145 lbs, he moved up to 155 lbs in a quest to become double-champion.

In a questionable decision, Makhachev won, likely due to not being incredibly out-struck and having more grappling control time. Volkanovski had the numbers in his favor, but the judges didn’t think he did enough to win the belt and make history.

Even with the shaky result, Volkanovski and Makhachev both have things to hang their head on. This was a fantastic fight to cap a great card.

Official result: Islam Makhachev via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)