Kiwi Carlos Ulberg knocks out Dominick Reyes during the UFC Fight Night at RAC Arena. Photo: Paul Kane
Kiwi light-heavyweight Carlos Ulberg has all but secured his shot at the title after an emphatic win at UFC Perth on Sunday.
Ulberg knocked out former challenger Dominick Reyes in the first round in the card's main event at RAC Arena.
With the belt on the line at UFC 320 next week, it's hard to deny the New Zealander the winner of champion Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira.
Ulberg imposed himself early, pushing the pace and controlling the distance with low kicks, and with less than a minute left in the opening round, he landed a flush right-hand to put Reyes' lights out.
Ulberg confirmed he had already talked to the matchmakers and would attend next week's title fight. He called dibs and who can deny him?
Ulberg's dominant win capped off an undefeated night for City Kickboxing and New Zealand mixed martial arts.
Teammate Navajo Stirling continued an unbeaten start to his UFC career, with a gutsy unanimous decision win over Rodolfo Bellato.
Stirling moved to 3-0 in the UFC and called out Ibo Aslan immediately after getting his hand raised.
Australian City Kickboxing products Brando Pericic and Cam Rowston won their organisation debuts, with first-round stoppages.
Pericic knocked out American Elisha Ellison with brutal ground-and-pound, drawing the applause from Israel Adesanya in the audience.
While Rowston paid tribute to Adesanya, after capitalising on a check hook with a flurry of punches that forced the referee to step in.
History was also made, when Michelle Montague became the first Kiwi woman to fight in the UFC.
Montague imposed her grappling on Brazil's Luana Carolina to grind out a unanimous decision victory.
The 31-year-old was cut early, but battled through the bloodshed to announce herself in the bantamweight division.
Australians Jack Jenkins, Jimmy Crute and Tom Nolan also had wins.
Catch up with all the action as it unfolded below:
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
