Jimmy Crute snatches rear-naked choke for first-round finish of Ivan Erslan. The crowd went wild on Saturday night as Jimmy Crute scored a huge first-round win, forcing Ivan Erslan to tap out with a powerful neck-crank submission.
The action continued deep into the night at RAC Arena, Perth, Australia, on Saturday, September 27, 2025, as Jimmy Crute takes on Ivan Erslan in the light heavyweight co-main event. This matchup was elevated to the co-main event slot after the originally scheduled bout between Junior Tafa and Ibo Aslan fell through due to injury
Crute returns to his home country looking to build on a hard-earned comeback. After a string of setbacks, including a first-round knockout loss to Jamahal Hill in late 2021 and a guillotine-choke defeat at the hands of Alonzo Menifield at UFC 290 in July 2023, “The Brute” steadied himself with a gritty majority draw against Rodolfo Bellato at UFC 312 in February 2025. That performance set the stage for his breakthrough at UFC 318 this past July, where he submitted Marcin Prachnio with a slick first-round armbar to claim his first victory in over five years.
Ivan Erslan, his opponent entered Perth determined to reverse his recent skid and make a statement on enemy soil. He has shown flashes of knockout power on the European circuit, most notably at KSW Epic in February 2024 where he flattened Bogdan Gnidko in the opening round. He also picked up a TKO win over Dirlei Broenstrup at Fight Nation Championship 11 in 2023. However, his UFC run has not been a smooth one, he had a split-decision loss to Ion Cutelaba last September and a unanimous-decision defeat to Navajo Stirling at UFC 315 this May have left him hungry for a turnaround.
Ivan Erslan was the first to make the walk, looking calm and composed as he stepped into the Octagon. Jimmy Crute followed moments later, bouncing with excitement and energy. The two light heavyweights even touched gloves before the referee had entered to deliver final instructions.
Once the introduction was over, they touched gloves again and got down to business. Crute opened with a sharp leg kick, prompting Erslan to fire back with punches. The pace was hot right from the start. As Erslan pressed forward throwing shots, Crute timed a takedown and put him on the mat. Erslan worked quickly to escape and didn’t stay grounded for long.
The action shifted to the fence where Crute scored another takedown. Erslan again scrambled, briefly taking a dominant position of his own, but Crute reversed and regained control. From there, the Australian slipped around to Erslan’s back and locked in a rear-naked choke that turned into a vicious neck crank. With no way out, Erslan tapped at 3:19 of the first round, giving Crute a statement win by submission in front of his home fans.
Afterwards, Crute was asked about that rather unique submission that looked more like something out of professional wrestling but he wasn’t ready to give it a nickname just yet. “I don’t know but I f*cking love it!” Crute said about his unique finish. “I want to go in February, I hear there’s a show in Sydney. Let’s go.”
Another interesting fight on the card was the clash between Neil Magny and Jake Matthews. Magny pulled off another stunning comeback at UFC Perth on Saturday after almost not making it out of the first round against Matthews. The fight ended late in the third round when Magny locked in a D’Arce choke, forcing Matthew to tap at 3:08 of the final round. That finish only happened after a big mistake from the referee in the opening round.
With Matthews holding a guillotine choke, Magny was just trying to hang on with seconds left in the round. It briefly looked like his arm went limp, but he was actually just waiting for the horn. The referee stepped in and appeared to stop the fight, but Magny immediately got up protesting the call. Moments later, the referee reversed the decision and allowed the fight to continue. Magny then turned the tables in the third round, locking up the submission to pull off the win and steal victory from the jaws of defeat.
Main Card
Carlos Ulberg def. Dominick Reyes via first-round KO (4:27)
Jimmy Crute def. Ivan Erslan via submission (RNC) (R1, 3:19)
Jack Jenkins def. Ramon Taveras via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Neil Magny def. Jake Matthews via submission (D’arce choke) (R3, 3:08)
Tom Nolan def. Charlie Campbell via submission (RNC) (R1, 4:08)
Preliminary Card
Navajo Stirling def. Rodolfo Bellato via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Cameron Rowston def. Andre Petroski via first-round TKO (2:41)
Jamie Mullarkey def. Rolando Bedoya via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Colby Thicknesse def. Josias Musasa via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Michelle Montague def. Luana Carolina via unanimous decision (29-26, 30-25, 30-26)
Brando Pericic def. Elisha Ellison via first-round KO (1:55)
Alexia Thainara def. Loma Lookboonmee via unanimous decision
