Fans were treated to a double dose of High Stakes MMA with Back-to-Back Fight Nights in Perth, as the Land Down Under showcased Australia’s Top Talent across 2 nights of explosive action.

While UFC Fight Night: Maddalena vs Prates demanded the attention of an entire Country on Saturday May 2nd, MMA Fans in Western Australia were treated to, not one but, two massive fight cards within 48 hours.

It all started on Friday Night with Eternal 105: Bates vs Fraser for the Interim Eternal Middleweight Championship. 2 x Time Middleweight Champion and Welsh-born John Martin Fraser (11-6) came into the title bout as the favorite against former Welterweight title contender Aldin Bates (10-3), but that didn’t stop the underdog from putting forth his best, in an effort to overcome his toughest test to date. After a fast start and plenty of pressure from Fraser, it didn’t take long until Bates fired back with some big shots of his own. Having weathered an onslaught of strikes courtesy of the Welshman, Bates caught Fraser behind the ear with a perfect placed right hand, before pounding his way to a TKO Victory (Round 1, 2:21) and declaring himself Interim Middleweight Champion of Eternal’s Middleweight Division.

With MCT (Play-by-play), Matt Williams (Colour Commentary), Kyle Noke (Analysis), and “King” Casey O’Neill (#11 UFC Flyweight) on Commentary, Blake “#15” Richardson (Announcer), and Aly Mac (Presenter) & David Storley (Bedtime MMA) filling out the broadcast team, the chemistry between all those “On the Mic” couldn’t have gone any smoother.

Other notable performances at Eternal 105 include Laurence Whitesmith (2-0) victorious over Michael Tepou (0-3) by Submission via Rear Naked Choke (Rd 1, 0:43 secs), and Antonio Caruso (11-3) finishing Luke Dally (5-3) landing a brutal body shot by TKO (Round 1, 2:13). The bad blood boiling over after the fight as Caruso vented his frustrations to both the corner of Dally and the crowd in attendance, before voicing his controversial opinions on the build up to this fight, in his post fight interview with MC Blake Richardson. Dally has since come out and shared on Instagram, he went into the bout with injured rib that was sustained during training camp, roughly 5 weeks out from the Event. The man they call “The Diamond” still amongst the top contenders of the most competitive weight class in Aussie MMA.

Then, for the first time in history, the RAC Arena played host to the first afternoon/evening Fight Night held in Western Australia. With 9 x Eternal Alumni, and 4 x Former Eternal Champions (Jack Della Maddalena, Welterweight. Quillan Salkilled, Lightweight. Steve Erceg, Flyweight. Ben Johnston, Middleweight) competing throughout the Card, this Fight Night was clear evidence of Eternal MMA’s influence in producing and progressing the next wave of talent in Australia, on to the UFC.

All eyes were on the Main Event between Della Maddalena and Prates, with both men amped up and ready to go before the official introductions. JDM opened the fight with a strong showing, mixing his established Boxing with effective Wrestling to win the First Round. However, it didn’t take long for Prates to target the lead leg of Della Maddlena landing heavy calf kicks throughout Rounds 2 & 3, eventually forcing Referee Mike Beltran to step in and stop the fight at 3:17 of the Third Round, winning via TKO in enemy territory in Perth.

The Co-Main Event featured Former Eternal Lightweight Champion Quillan Salkilled against Beneil Dariush, with much expectation of Salkilled leading up to this bout. The Perth Native did not disappoint, catching Dariush with big power in the latter stages of Round One, before vicious ground & pound ended the contest at 3:29 of the First round. Salkilled is now Ranked #12 in the UFC Lightweight Division, and called for a fight against Mateusz Gamrot (#7) in his post fight interview with Michael Bisping (UFC Analyst).

Speaking of Rankings, Brando “The Balkan Bear” Perecic continued his winnings ways with a TKO Victory over Shamil Gaziev (Round 2, 3:44) to cement himself at #15 amongst the Heavyweight Division.

It was a Perfect night for the Team at Rival Sports Management with Former UFC Flyweight Title Contender Steve Erceg (#10) breaking back into the Top 10 of the Flyweight division outlasting Tim Elliot (#12) over 3 rounds to earn a Unanimous Decision in his favour, alongside Jacob Malkoun dominant over Gerald Meerschart improving to 3 wins on the trot, and 6 total victories in the UFC Middleweight Division!

Amongst all the action that happens across a UFC x ETERNAL Fight Weekend, one thing is certain… There’s never been a better time to be an MMA Fan in Australia. The High Calibre of talent coming through from Eternal to the UFC is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent past. And although we had mixed results at UFC FIGHT NIGHT, one thing is certain… Aussie Fans will forever be proud of OUR athletes when they compete on the world stage. Win, Lose, or Draw. No matter the result. For those who wear the Green & Gold, and fly our Nations Flag, rest assured- the entire country is behind you, to the very end of the line. See you back home on the Goldy!

-MCT.