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UFC returned to the land down under and it had everything that a fight fan would expect from an explosive card -- highlight reel finishes, some back-and-forth action, and the inevitable controversies
The main event of the evening saw Yoel Romero put Luke Rockhold to sleep with a trademark flurry of punches followed by one hell of an uppercut. The Soldier of God, however, left the arena without the interim middleweight title around his waist as he failed to make weight on Friday, deeming him ineligible to capture the belt.
In the co-main event, Curtis Blaydes survived an early scare to see off the legendary Mark Hunt in a fight that went the distance. There were three other fights that constituted the main card besides the undercard that made for an entertaining PPV.
Here's who gained and lost the most from the latest UFC offering:
Honorable mention: New Zealander of Nigerian descent, Israel Adesanya made a triumphant UFC debut by finishing Rob Wilkinson in the prelims. His 12th consecutive finish garnered the sensational young talent the performance of the night bonus.
Winner #1: Yoel Romero
The former Olympian could have won a UFC title at the ripe old age of 40 had he cut an extra 2.7 pounds. Dana White, though, has confirmed that the Soldier of God will get to avenge his loss against Robert Whittaker after rampaging to a win against Rockhold.
Romero stormed through to a victory despite suffering a broken leg in the first round, speaking volumes of his toughness and determination. A guaranteed title shot makes the Cuban native the biggest winner of the night.
All we got to do is to pray to the MMA gods for The Reaper's well being.
Loser #1: Luke Rockhold
With two losses in his last three fights, Rockhold's middleweight future is surely on the tenterhooks. Romero uppercut Rockhold's aspirations of holding the middleweight strap for the second time and in the process has put Rockhold in the same predicament as his former rival, Chris Weidman.
Rockhold would now go into his next fight desperately looking for a win, but who's next for the former Strikeforce Champion?
A rematch against a rejuvenated Chris Wiedman? A tricky bout against the dangerous Kelvin Gastelum? There's a motivated Jacare Souza waiting in line too.
The tide is certainly against Rockhold after tonight's loss but a big win in his upcoming fight could change his fortunes.
Winner #2: Tai Tuivasa
Tai Tuivasa is a star in the making. From knocking Cyril Asker out in the first round to celebrating with the shimmy and chugging beer from a fan's show after the fight; the New South Wales native surely gave his countrymen their money's worth.
The 24-year-old heavyweight maintained his clean record by notching up his 7th first round knockout in as many fights and made a solid case for himself for a shot against a top 10 contender.
The comprehensiveness of his win itself and his charismatic post-fight antics may have surely impressed Dana White.
Loser #2: Mark Hunt
The legendary Samoan looked to be on a career resurgence of sorts when he knocked Derrick Lewis out back in June 2017. It seemed like it until the first round of his clash against Curtis Blaydes, but the undefeated heavyweight prospect managed to weather the early storm and ground out a win against Hunt.
The veteran Hunt has now lost three of his last four bouts, possibly signaling the end of a highlight reel career for the 43-year-old. But they say you get stubborn as you grow older and the same applies to Hunt.
Winner #3: Jake Matthews
Ending an opponent's four-fight win streak coupled with a fight of the night bonus puts Jake Matthews in the top gainers' list. And how can we forget about the eye gouge from Li Jingliang that resulted in a nasty cut on Matthews' right eye?
The Australian Welterweight dug deep and worked towards a unanimous decision victory to end the Chinese prospect's momentum. An impressive performance in front of his own folks has catapulted the stock of the young 23-year-old, who now holds 6 wins in the UFC with an overall record of 12-3.
Winner/Loser: Curtis Blaydes
The American heavyweight may have pulled off the biggest win of his career against Hunt, but he did so by deploying a style that is often not too pleasing to the eye. After getting rocked in the first round, Blaydes steadied the ship and took the fight to the ground and managed to outpoint the New Zealander.
Twitterati wasn't too kind as Blaydes came under fire for making the fight too boring with his grappling. However, a gameplan well executed is what matters for a fighter and his camp at the end of the day.
Blaydes would need to get back his finishing gloves in order to break into a division filled with knockout artists.
