UFC Perth is off to an awful start. At least according to fans in the United States. The event is unfolding in the Land Down Under on Saturday, May 2, as Jack Della Maddalena headlines the card against Carlos Prates, looking to bounce back from his loss to Islam Makhachev last year. While Maddalena is yet to fight, the preliminary portion of the card has left much to be desired.

The night began with Dom Mar Fan dropping his second UFC fight, falling to Kody Steele via first-round finish. And that was followed by a welterweight bout between Jonathan Micallef and Themba Gorimbo. While Micallef secured his third UFC win, Gorimbo suffered his third consecutive loss after a split decision verdict.

In the next fight, middleweight Ben Johnston was making his UFC debut but came up short against Wes Schultz. The bout ended in a third-round submission, as Schultz bounced back from his debut loss in March. Up next, Vince Morales and Colby Thicknesse squared off in a bantamweight contest. Morales entered the fight on a three-fight losing streak since joining the promotion in 2024.

But he failed to return to the win column, as Thicknesse earned a unanimous decision victory. Jacob Malkoun and Gerald Meerschaert, meanwhile, clashed at a 190-pound catchweight, with Malkoun securing a decision win and extending Meerschaert’s losing streak to five. In the next bout, Kevin Christian suffered a first-round knockout loss to Junior Tafa.

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Meanwhile, the final fight of the night saw Cam Rowston secure a decision win over Robert Bryczek. The bouts, apparently, weren’t satisfying enough for the fans, who quickly took their grievances to social media. 

UFC Perth prelims branded ‘a—’

One user wished they had stayed in bed instead of watching the card. “Card has been ass so far, wish I stayed in bed lol. Praying the main card delivers #UFCPerth,” the user commented. Due to the time difference, it would have been early morning when the prelims began.

Meanwhile, this fan felt they could have watched the prelims later instead of staying up. The fan posted: “That was such a mid prelims card, man smh stayed up until 7 am for something I could’ve simply watched on demand later on #UFCPerth.” Prelims, however, aren’t ever the main attraction of an event.

Even people in the UK weren’t happy about the card. “So glad this card is on early for us in the UK. Otherwise, I’d have stayed all night for this crap. Hopefully, the main card can somewhat redeem the awful Prelims. #UFCPerth,” the user wrote. The prelims began at 9 am in the UK. 

Someone else felt there was only one decent fight in the prelims. “Not a great prelims, pretty whatever. Tafa was good, [the] rest was meh or a robbery. Main card gives us a reason to be up this early #UFCPerth,” the user wrote. The Tafa vs. Christian fight, of course, was the only one that ended in a knockout. 

Another user was holding on to hope that the main card could redeem the entire event. “Not feeling the buzz from UFC Perth so far to finish out the prelims. Let’s hope the main card lives up to the hype, Tuivasa, Gaziev, Elliott, Quinlan, and JDM for the win,” the user posted. Maddalena and Prates exciting fighting style will make the main event a hit, but besides that, how the rest of the fight goes is anyone’s guess. 

From the looks of things, another UFC event is facing backlash. While there’s yet to be a major judging or refereeing controversy, it appears fans always have something to complain about.