Early Morning Alert! UFC Perth Start Time, Full Fight Card Details
· Yahoo Sports
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will touchdown inside RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, this weekend (Sat., May 2, 2026) to stage UFC Perth, featuring a pivotal Welterweight bout between former champion, Jack Della Maddalena, against fast-rising sensation, Carlos Prates. In the co-headliner, 155-pound staple, Beneil Dariush, will face the up-and-coming (and dangerous), Quillan Salkilld, in a high-octane Lightweight affair, streaming live on Paramount+ with a special 4 a.m. ET “Prelims” start time.
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UFC PERTH CHEAT SHEET
What UFC event is on this weekend?UFC Perth: “Jack Della vs. Prates”
Who is fighting at UFC Perth? Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates Welterweight fight is the five-round main event.
What time does UFC Perth start? TOMORROW (Sat., May 2, 2026), beginning at 4 a.m. ET on Paramount+.
Where will UFC Perth take place? RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
How can I watch UFC Perth?Paramount+ “Prelims” undercard matches are scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. ET on Paramount+, followed by the remaining main card balance on Paramount+ at 7 a.m. ET.
How do I bet on UFC Perth? Checkout the latest UFC Perth betting lines right here.
Where can I get UFC Perth updates and results? Get full UFC Perth play-by-play updates and live coverage here!
Della Maddalena was on the highest of highs after jumping out to a mint start (8-0) inside the Octagon and winning the 170-pound strap with a win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 back in May 2025. But, all of that came crashing down at UFC 322 after he ran into pound-for-pound great, Islam Makhachev, who dominated him for 25 minutes to rip the title from his hands. Now, “JDM” will look to get back on track against a rising star in his own right who is looking to make his way up to a 170-pound title fight. Maddalena didn’t have the best performance against Makhachev (most never do), so he is determined to make up for the loss and output against the dangerous Brazilian bomber.
Like Maddalena, Prates is a product of Contender Series, and he has proven to be a legit star, racking up a 5-1 mark so far in his UFC career with his lone loss coming against current No. 2-seeded contender, Ian Machado-Garry. Prates is one of the most entertaining fighters in the division and has won all of his fights inside the Octagon via knockout. In fact, his last 12 wins have come via stoppage by way of strikes and has amassed 18 knockouts in his career with three submissions, only going the distance twice. Currently ranked No. 5 at 170 pounds, if Prates can takeout “JDM,” he will more than likely get the next title fight against the winner of the proposed title fight between Makhachev and Machado-Garry.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card/Injuries
A Heavyweight bout between Tai Tuivasa vs. Sean Sharaf was scheduled for the event before Sharaf had to withdraw because of a broken nose and was ultimately replaced by Louie Sutherland (details here). Tuivasa has long been one of the fan-favorites employed by UFC, but he has not had a trip to the winner’s circle in his previous six fights with his last victory coming way back in Feb. 2022. As for Sutherland, he also needs a win because he is 0-2 in his first two fights with the promotion. In addition, a Featherweight bout between Jack Jenkins vs. Marwan Rahiki was scrapped after Jenkins withdrew with an injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer, Ollie Schmid (details here).
New Blood:
Schmid made his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut just three years ago, and now he finds himself with a big opportunity to make a splash in his first UFC bout. With a record of 4-2, Schmid has three first round knockouts on his resume, but will find that he will have a tough time trying to put away Rahiki,who had himself a successful Octagon debut against Harry Hardwick (that might be an understatement), improving his flawless record (8-0).
Ben Johnston will make his UFC debut coming in with a 5-1 professional record. After making his professional start in 2010, Johnston took a 12-year break from fighting and returned to win four of his next five bouts. Despite not being overly-active, he has done enough to grab the attention of UFC matchmakers. He will face off against Wesley Schultz, who is coming off a first round knockout defeat at the hands of Damian Pinas in his UFC debut (see it here).
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Winner of six straight, Cameron Roswton is on the hunt for seven consecutive victories — three inside the Octagon — when he battles Robert Bryczek in the featured “Prelims” fight. Rowston has won his last three via knockout, while Bryczek is coming off a technical knockout win over Brad Tavares back in Sept. 2025, his first win inside the Octagon.
Junior Tafa has had a rough go of it during his UFC tenure. With a record of 2-5 and two straight defeats, the hard-hitting Light Heavyweight needs to get back into the win column in a hurry to prevent a release. He will face Kevin Christian, who is in also in need of a win after stumbling out of the gates in his UFC debut, losing to Billy Elekana via first round submission back in Nov. 2025 (see it again here).
Gerald Meerschaert has had a tough stretch as of late, too, losing his last four fights inside the Octagon with his last win coming against Edmen Shahbazyan in 2024, so another defeat could likely earn him his walking papers. He will have a tough task getting back on track against Jacob Malkoun, winner of two straight and three of his last four.
Themba Gorimbo started off with a nice 4-1 run in his first five fights with the promotion and looked to have all the makings of a contender, but he has since lost two straight at the hands of Vicente Luque and Jeremiah Wells. Now, he is out to break his funk when he goes head up against Jonathan Micallef, who is 2-0 inside the Octagon and has won nine of his first 10 professional bouts.
Kody Steel, meanwhile, threw up a dud in his UFC debut after losing to Zhu Rong at UFC 312, the first loss of his professional career. Now, Steel will attempt to secure his first win inside the Octagon when he takes on Dom Mar Fan, who has won five straight, which includes winning his first two bouts under UFC’s brights lights.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Aside from Tai Tuivasa needing to cash in on a win to avoid losing his seventh straight bout, Vince Morales is also in a must-win situation since he is win-less in his last five UFC fights. After he was cut by the promotion in 2022 because of a two-fight skid, he went onto win five fights on the regional circuit to earn an invite back to the promotion. That said, his losing streak inside the Octagon has only increased after losing his last three bouts, which will put him in danger, again, if he can’t get a win over Colby Thicknesse, who is 1-1 in his young UFC career.
Interest Level: 7/10
At one point, Dariush was on an eight-fight win streak and close to a title fight before Charles Oliveiraknocked him out at UFC 289. That was the beginning of a slump that saw him get stopped in two of his next three fights in the first round. Now, ranked No. 12 in the stacked division, Dariush is out to get back on track against Salkilld, who is undefeated (4-0) thus far inside the Octagon, but does not hold a Top 15 spot … yet. That’s the reason it’s easy to see that Dariush is being used as some sort of a stepping stone for the up-and-coming contender. But, he can flip it on everyone’s head by stopping the Aussie’s momentum.
Both Tim Elliott and Steve Erceg received an opportunity early on in their UFC careers to compete for a title, with Elliott coming up short against Demetrious Johnson for UFC’s inaugural Flyweight title way back in 2016, while Erceg lost to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in May 2024 (also for the 125-pound strap). Erceg snapped his three-fight skid in his most recent outing, defeating Ode Osbourne via decision, while Elliott has won two straight against Su Mudaerji and Kai Asakura. Now, the former title challengers will battle each other to see who takes a bump up in the rankings, though another title shot is unlikely in the immediate future for the victor.
Brando Precic has been nothing short of impressive in his first two UFC fights, winning them both via first round knockout. In fact, all six of his professional wins have ended via strikes early in the opening frame, making him a dangerous and violent foe for anyone standing in front of him. He aims to keep that impressive stoppage streak going when he battles Octagon veteran, Shamil Gaziev, who — ironically enough — was knocked out in the first round in his previous bout against Waldo Cortes-Acosta (highlights).
Enjoy the fights!
Full UFC Perth Fight Card:
UFC Perth Main Event on Paramount+:170 lbs.: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates
UFC Perth Main Card on Paramount+ (7 a.m. ET):155 lbs.: Beneil Dariush vs. Quillan Salkilld
125 lbs.: Tim Elliott vs. Steve Erceg
265 lbs.: Shamil Gaziev vs. Brando Pericic
265 lbs.: Tai Tuivasa vs. Louie Sutherland (not Sean Sharaf)
185 lbs.: Cam Rowston vs. Robert Bryczek
205 lbs.: Junior Tafa vs. Kevin Christian
185 lbs.: Jacob Malkoun vs. Gerald Meerschaert
135 lbs.: Colby Thicknesse vs. Vince Morales
185 lbs.: Wes Schultz vs. Ben Johnston
170 lbs.: Jonathan Micallef vs. Themba Gorimbo
155 lbs.: Kody Steele vs. Dom Mar Fan
*Fight card, bout order and amount of fights remain subject to change.*
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