Alexander Volkanovski was watching the UFC Perth event with even more interest than most fans. However, his experience quickly soured when his teammate was denied a finish after a controversial no-call by the referee.

The reigning featherweight champion’s longtime training partner, Colby Thicknesse, faced veteran Vince Morales in the UFC Perth prelims, which were marred by controversy. In the first round, ‘Slickness’ displayed high-level jiu-jitsu by locking in an armbar on Morales. Though the Nevada native fought hard to escape, the Aussie kept it tight and looked close to securing a submission. But Morales eventually broke free and continued fighting.

Thicknesse managed to survive until the final bell and earned a unanimous decision victory. However, on replay, ‘The Great’ noticed that Morales may have briefly tapped during the first armbar sequence, which the referee didn’t call, potentially denying his teammate a finish in front of the home crowd.

“I knew I seen a tap! #ufcperth,” Alexander Volkanovski posted on X, sharing a clip of the sequence.

Volkanovski may have spotted an error from the official. But this isn’t the first time something like this has happened in the UFC. One notable example dates back to 2015, when Leandro Silva and Drew Dober faced off at UFC Fight Night 62. During the fight, the referee stopped the bout, believing Dober had tapped, awarding Silva the win. However, upon further review, the commission later ruled it a no-contest.

Furthermore, another similar instance occurred at UFC 203. In the main event, Alistair Overeem had Stipe Miocic in a deep guillotine choke that nearly resulted in a submission. Still, the former heavyweight champion escaped and scored a brutal first-round knockout. At the post-fight press conference with Joe Rogan, Overeem claimed he felt a tap, but replays showed there was no tap from Miocic.

Now, Colby Thicknesse’s name joins the list of submission-related controversies following UFC Perth. However, the fact remains he secured the win via unanimous decision, and ‘Slickness’ later shed light on how he managed to pull off the victory despite facing adversity. 

Colby Thicknesse talks about his latest UFC Perth win   

Colby Thicknesse’s UFC Perth prelims fight against Vince Morales served as a wake-up call, as the veteran had him in all sorts of trouble in the third round by wobbling him multiple times.

Still, the Aussie showed impressive resilience by keeping himself composed and fighting until the end. For ‘Slickness,’ it was clearly a step up in competition. As he moves forward, Thicknesse revealed that he’s happy with his performance while acknowledging there’s room for improvement.

“I feel good, in line with the sub attempts,” Thicknesse said in the post-fight backstage interview. “I felt like I showed a little bit more of my striking. It was a tough fight, but I’m happier with my performance than the last time I was here in Perth. Obviously, the third round didn’t go my way. I got caught, sort of reaching out.”

“I actually have to watch it back to see what really got through. But slowly, I’m still getting better. I’m still young in this game. I took on a guy that has three times as many fights as me. I managed to get a tough victory in my third UFC fight, so all things considered, I’m happy with that.”

The Aussie’s latest victory has put him in a solid position. He’s currently 2-1 in Dana White’s promotion, with his only loss coming in his debut against Aleksandre Topuria at UFC 312, which isn’t a bad setback to have. Still, he was clearly hurt in the third round and couldn’t quite shift the momentum back in his favor. That leaves some questions about whether he’s ready to face a top-15 opponent next.

That said, as Alexander Volkanovski’s longtime teammate picks up the win in Perth, what do you think should be the next step for Colby Thicknesse?