UFC’s fifth promotional visit to Perth on May 2nd suffered a massive blow after an Aussie fighter’s bout was canceled because of an injury. With just a few days left, fans wondered whether the promotion would scrap the showdown or find a replacement. Fortunately, the latter proved to be the case, as a heavyweight fighter saved the event by agreeing to clash on short notice.

Fan-favorite UFC fighter, Tai Tuivasa, was set to return on the main card of UFC Perth against Sean Sharaf. But ahead of the fight, Sharaf withdrew because of a nose injury, which ended up canceling the bout. The promotion searched for a replacement to save the heavyweight fight for the fight night. In the end, Louie Sutherland answered the UFC’s call for who’s ready to fight ‘Bam Bam’ at the RAC arena. 

“BOUT UPDATE 🇦🇺 Tai Tuivasa will now take on Louie Sutherland at #UFCPerth!” The official UFC Australia account posted on X.  

After losing five fights in a row, Tai Tuivasa took a two-year break from competition to reset. However, the Aussie’s return at UFC 325 turned out to be a lackluster affair against Tallison Teixeira that left fans fuming. He ended up losing the bout against the Brazilian via unanimous decision that became Tuivasa’s 6th defeat in a row.

With that outcome, many fans thought UFC would put ‘Bam Bam’ on the chopping block. On the contrary, Dana White and Co didn’t cut him from the UFC and gave him a spot on UFC Perth’s main card instead.

For Tuivasa, the clash against Sharaf was a must-win situation, and that raised concern when the fight was canceled the first time. Will ‘Bam Bam’ get the chance to search for a victory in front of his home crowd? That became the burning question. Now, with Louie Sutherland on board, at least that concern is out of the way. But what do the stakes look like now for Tuivasa?

To be honest, the Aussie’s next bout remains crucial, even more than before, as he faces a short-notice opponent who’s currently on a two-fight losing streak and has never won a fight in the UFC. ‘Vanilla Gorilla’ dropped his UFC debut against Valter Walker at UFC 321, and then Brando Peričić recently knocked him out at UFC London.

In that case, this fight becomes important. Though a loss here doesn’t guarantee whether they would stay or get cut from the promotion, it can drive either of them toward a potential termination. That said, the heavyweight bout isn’t the only fight that saw some changes. Another main card fight was recently affected because of an injury.

UFC Perth saw another main card fight fizzling out    

At UFC’s upcoming Perth event, fans will at least get to watch their compatriot Tai Tuivasa in action. However, Jack Jenkins will miss the chance to fight in front of his home crowd.

The Aussie 145er was a breakout star from Dana White’s Contender Series, earning a UFC contract with a stellar win over Emiliano Linares. After that, he won two more fights in the UFC to prove that he’s the real deal. But after that, Jenkins’ run turned into a lackluster affair, as he went 2-2 in his last four, though his last fight was a win over Ramon Taveras last year.

The 32-year-old was set to face Marwan Rahiki, who became a sensation after breaking Harry Hardwick’s jaw at UFC London 2026, and the featherweight clash looked pretty solid. But before they could clash inside the Octagon, Jack Jenkins sustained an injury and pulled out of this anticipated fight. And so far, the UFC hasn’t announced any replacement for his opponent.

With two bouts getting affected, do you think that actually toned down the UFC Perth card? What do you think?