Some critics argue that the UFC doesn’t always treat its fighters fairly. But one winner from UFC Perth this past Saturday sees things differently. Australia’s Brando Perićić stepped into the Octagon against Shamil Gaziev at RAC Arena in Perth for his third UFC appearance. What unfolded was a brutal heavyweight slugfest that kept fans on edge from start to finish.

In the end, however, ‘The Balkan Bear’ got his hand raised after securing a second-round knockout. For this performance, in an event criticized for being dull by fans, the 31-year-old and his Bahraini opponent walked away with $100K ‘Fight of the Night’ bonuses. In response, the Aussie made sure to let the promotion know that he is a company man through and through. 

“I’m very thankful to this company,” the Aussie exclaimed. “This company saved my life. Mixed martial arts saved my life. So that’s why when I go out there, I wanna represent the struggles that I’ve been through and give that to the crowd, give them that big win, that KO win. Because the s–t that I’ve been through in life, that’s the true fight. 

“This is easy. There [were] no nerves in there for me. I wouldn’t have cared if it [were] the champion, I would have done the same thing.”

The Aussie has faced his fair share of hard times in his life, having to live in his gym, City Kickboxing, in New Zealand, or his car early in his career. Reflecting on those days of suffering, the 31-year-old promised that his journey to the pinnacle of the sport is inevitable. 

“I love the Aussies–my people,” he added. “They don’t even know who I am properly. Give it a couple of years. I’ve got 10 years in this company. So, I wanna be around for a long time, be a household name. I love this company, I love the UFC. Thank you to Dana White, Sean Shelby, Mick Maynard, Hunter Campbell, all you boys, you saved my life.”

The Croatian-Australian heavyweight has won all of his fights via stoppage, with a sole loss on his record against Randall Rayment in May 2024. He joined the UFC roster in August last year and made his debut against Elisha Ellison. Since then, he has consistently bagged bonuses from his three total fights in the UFC. 

While the 31-year-old is glad how the promotion is treating him, a veteran of the promotion had something else to say. 

Colby Covington rips into the UFC for treatment

Perićić says he has 10 years in the promotion. And Colby Covington has already spent over a decade inside of it. And he has a totally different view of how the promotion treats its fighters. He ripped into the UFC over the restrictive treatment of fighters. 

He claimed they have little control over their careers. ‘Chaos’ was left off the White House card, and having been inactive for over a year, it fueled his criticism.

“You have no say,” Covington said during a stream with N3on. “Hunter Campbell… kind of just tells you what direction they’re going to go, and it’s either you take it or leave it.

“They’ll say, ‘Hey, you turned down this fight, now you’re not going to fight for a year.’” 

Covington also hinted his UFC future may be short, citing long-term health concerns and a desire for big names and legacy-defining fights.

Clearly, two different fighters can have totally different views of the same promotion. One who had nothing now has something. Another who gained something wants even more. What do you make of this?