The UFC’s return to Perth was meant to be another showcase for Australian fight fans. Instead, it’s been a week of setbacks, withdrawals, and empty seats. UFC Fight Night 260/UFC Perth at RAC Arena has already been plagued by disappointing ticket sales, with local outlets reporting the venue only half full just days before the show. For a country that has delivered sellout crowds for the UFC in recent years, the poor numbers sparked questions about star power and the strength of the card.
The news got worse as fight week rolled on. First, co-main eventer Junior Tafa pulled out of his heavyweight clash with Ibo Aslan due to injury. Then, the welterweight bout between Oban Elliott and Jonathan Micallef was scrapped after Elliott fell ill. Hours later, disaster struck again: Justin Tafa, Junior’s older brother, was also forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Louie Sutherland. The announcement came at the official weigh-ins, further deflating a card already hanging by a thread.
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UFC Perth loses Justin Tafa and his brother as the promotion left scrambling
Justin Tafa’s withdrawal was confirmed as illness-related as per reports, while further details about what exactly happened remain under wraps at the time of writing.
However, it’s far from his first setback in 2025. Earlier this year, he pulled out of a UFC 317 matchup against Jhonata Diniz just weeks before fight night. At 31, Tafa has struggled to find momentum, currently sitting on a two-fight losing streak that includes a decision defeat to Karl Williams and a TKO loss to Tallison Teixeira.
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The timing of this latest cancellation couldn’t be worse. Fans were eager to see him bounce back on home soil, especially after his brother Junior’s exit left the card without one of its original attractions.
Instead, Louie Sutherland’s long-awaited UFC debut was scrapped at the last minute. For the English heavyweight, who signed with the promotion after a four-fight streak in Levels Fight League, the cancellation means another frustrating wait for his first Octagon appearance. But as mentioned above, the storm cloud hanging above UFC Perth didn’t end there.
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Poor ticket sales, cancelled fights add to UFC Perth’s woes
Tafa’s withdrawal is part of a broader wave of problems for UFC Perth. The Elliott vs. Micallef fight was also canceled due to illness, leaving Micallef without a replacement opponent. Meanwhile, the co-main reshuffle pushed Jimmy Crute vs. Ivan Erslan into the spotlight, though the matchup hardly carries the star power of the originally planned Junior Tafa vs. Ibo Aslan clash.
These changes also compounded the ticket sales crisis. As per a report from 7 News Australia’s Rick Ardon, “The WA [Western Australian] government’s financial investment in cage fighting is in question tonight with poor ticket sales to a UFC event this weekend. UFC Fight Night is being staged at RAC Arena, but the venue is only about half full, and tickets are now being discounted.”
Journalist Andy Hickey went further, calling it “easily the worst selling event at this point post-COVID.” Reports even indicate that ticket prices dropped as low as $167 AUS, yet attendance remained sluggish.
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The UFC has a long-term deal with the Western Australian tourism board, ensuring more Perth events in the coming years. But UFC Perth has raised questions about whether weaker cards can sustain the same enthusiasm that fighters like Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, and Dricus Du Plessis brought to Sydney and Perth in past years.
For Justin Tafa, the focus shifts back to health and rebuilding a career that has stalled under the weight of missed opportunities. For Louie Sutherland, it means staying ready for a new debut date. And for fans? It means settling for a thinner card at a discounted price, while wondering if UFC Perth 2025 will be remembered more for its scratches and sales struggles than for the action inside the Octagon!