UFC Perth fight card adds several fights for May 2 date, including Heavyweight knockout artist

Four more fights have been added to UFC Perth.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads back “Down Under” on Sat., May 2, 2026, inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. In the main event, former Welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena returns home to face dangerous Brazilian striker Carlos Prates in what promises to be a banger.

Today (Weds., April 1, 2026), the promotion announced several additions to the Aussie heavy card.

Aussie knockout artist Brando Pericic gets a major opportunity, taking on No. 13-ranked Heavyweight Shamil Gaziev for a chance to snatch a ranking.

Pericic (6-1) has been on fire since joining the promotion, winning both of his UFC bouts in under two minutes (watch highlights), including his most recent knockout win against Louie Sutherland at UFC London.

Gaziev (14-2), meanwhile, is looking to bounce back from a first-round knockout loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC Qatar (watch highlights). The 36-year-old currently sits at 3-2 inside the Octagon.

At Welterweight, Contender Series standout Jonathan Micallef draws Themba Gorimbo — aka The Rock’s favorite fighter.

Micallef (9-1) is undefeated in the UFC so far and is coming off his first finish in the promotion, putting Oban Elliott to sleep earlier this year at UFC 325 (watch highlights).

Gorimbo (14-6) will look to snap a two-fight losing streak after previously riding a four-fight win streak. He’s coming off a unanimous decision loss to Jeremiah Wells as a betting favorite.

At Bantamweight, Colby Thicknesse — a training partner of Alexander Volkanovski — looks to build momentum against veteran Vince Morales.

Thicknesse (8-1) picked up his first UFC win last time out, defeating Josias Musasa via decision after dropping a competitive debut to Aleksandre Topuria.

Morales (16-10), on the other hand, is in desperate need of a win. Since returning to the promotion, he has dropped three straight bouts, including losses to Taylor Lapilus, Elijah Smith, and Raul Rosas Jr.

Finally, Wes Schultz welcomes exciting Middleweight prospect Ben Johnston to the Octagon.

Schultz (8-3) earned his contract on Contender Series with a rare Suloev Stretch submission but was brutally knocked out in his UFC debut by Damian Pinas at UFC Mexico City (watch highlights). He’ll now look to rebound.

Johnston (5-1), an elite striker-turned submission specialist, enters on a four-fight win streak with a 100 percent finish rate (four submissions, one knockout) and will be making his UFC debut in front of a home crowd.

Here is what the UFC Perth lineup looks like so far:

• Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates
• Beneil Dariush vs. Quillan Salkilld
• Tai Tuivasa vs. Sean Sharaf
• Tim Elliott vs. Steve Erceg
• Jacob Malkoun vs. Gerald Meerschaert
• Robert Bryczek vs. Cameron Rowston
• Kevin Christian vs. Junior Tafa
• Shamil Gaziev vs. Brando Pericic
• Colby Thicknesse vs. Vince Morales
• Kody Steele vs. Dom Mar Fan
• Jonathan Micallef vs. Themba Gorimbo
• Wes Schultz vs. Ben Johnston

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To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.