​Aussies Dominate At UFC 209 In Las Vegas

West Sydney Japanese juijitsu and kickboxing specialist, Tyson Pedro, looks the real deal following yet another round-one demolition in the UFC. Considered an unknown and rated an outside chance against his more experienced opponent, Scotsman, Paul 'Bearjew' Craig (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Pedro breezed through the encounter earning a stoppage at the 4:10 mark inside the first round with a big straight right and some lethal elbows on the mat.

"I've said it before every fight: I come to finish the fights, and I finish them in the first round," he said afterwards.

"I respected my opponent completely. I think he underestimated me a little bit going into the fight, so that's not bad on his part – a lot of people think I'm immature in the sport. I've been doing this for a long time, and my record doesn't speak for what my experience is. All I need to do is keep coming in as the underdog, because I like that."

Of Pedro's six wins since turning pro in 2013, all have come inside the first round. The loss was Craig's first in his pro career.

Four-time Australian Olympian Judo competitor, Dan Kelly, also claimed the biggest scalp of his career in UFC 209, beating former light heavyweight champion, Rashad Evans in a split decision.

Kelly went toe to toe with Evans, a noted striker, beating him at his own game in the opening two rounds as he landed a series of heavy straight punches. But it came back to him with interest as he was forced to weather a late onslaught from the American that saw the crowd on its feet. The 39-year-old Kelly managed to hold on through the barrage for his fourth straight win in the UFC.

"It means the world to me to fight someone like Rashad Evans," Kelly said. "I really appreciate Rashad picking me to fight him and it just shows that us Aussies can fight at the top level in the UFC. I think I had more forward pressure. I think I hit him a little bit more than he hit me. Granted he took me down, but he couldn't get any control. I think the forward pressure probably won me the fight. That, and the dirty boxing.

"Next has to be a ranked opponent — it has to be. That is four wins in a row. I've just beaten a former champion, so give me anyone inside the top 15. As long as I have time to train, I'm ready to go," he said.

Mark 'Super Samoan' Hunt was the one casualty, suffering a brutal knockout at the knees of giant Dutchmen, Alastair Overeem in their heavyweight bout. The pair traded huge blows during the encounter, one of which opened up a gruesome gash on Hunt's leg. After the fight the outpsoken 42-year-old also revealed he'd suffered a broken tibia during the carnage, though seemed unmoved by it as he continued to throw hammers until he was pushed to the side of the cage and knee'd into oblivion by Overeem.