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Shane Young’s return to the Octagon after a near two-year absence has ended in defeat.
The featherweight from Napier lost a competitive decision to American Blake Bilder at UFC 284 in Perth on Sunday, his third successive loss with the promotion.
Bilder – who was making his UFC debut – got the nod via scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, with one judge giving Young the second round of a keenly-contested bout at the RAC Arena.
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The Californian was the aggressor throughout, attempting several takedowns, though a defensively alert Young was able to fend off the majority of these attacks.
The one occasion he was taken down to the mat two minutes into the opening round, Young showed an excellent grappling game to wrestle his way out of trouble and end the frame on his feet.
But Bilder, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, did land some eye-catching strikes in the latter stages of their three-round contest to deservedly get his hand raised.
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The former Cage Fury FC featherweight champion proved an elusive target for Young with his movement around the cage and consistently punished the New Zealander with accurate leg kicks.
Young had more success in the second round, but Bilder finished the stronger, showing superior fitness in the third as he got through with a couple of clean hooks.
The 29-year-old Young now has a 13-7 MMA record and is 2-4 with the UFC, raising questions about his future.
The last time he tasted victory was back in February 2019, when he outpointed Austin Arnett in Melbourne on the undercard of Israel Adesanya’s decision win over Anderson Silva.
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Auckland-born heavyweight Justin Tafa scored a first round knockout of Parker Porter at UFC 284.
Also on the card, New Zealand-born, Australia based heavyweight Justin Tafa earned his second win on the spin via first round knockout when he stopped Parker Porter in brutal fashion.
Tafa caught Porter with a perfect left hook right on the chin in the opening minute of the contest as the aggressive American charged forward in an attempt to close the distance.
As Porter dropped to the canvas in a heap, Tafa turned and walked away, drawing comparisons with Kiwi-Samoan great Mark Hunt.
“If you reach, I have to teach,” Tafa, who was born in Auckland but now calls Australia home, said afterwards. “That’s what happened.”
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Islam Makhachev tries to choke out home favourite Alex Volkanovski in their lightweight title clash in Perth.
Tafa improves to 6-3 in the Octagon with all his victories coming by stoppage. He had been sidelined for more than year after surgery on his hip but is right back in the mix at heavyweight after an explosive win.
In the main event, Islam Makhachev defied a rowdy crowd and a sustained challenge from Alexander Volkanovski to cement his supremacy in the UFC lightweight division in a gruelling fight.
Makhachev defended his 155-pound belt with a unanimous decision and claimed the title of best pound-for-pound fighter from featherweight champion Australian Volkanovski, who saw his 22-win streak ended.
“I showed why I am No 1. I am the best fighter in the world right now,” said the Russian as jeers ran around a sold-out 13,000 crowd at RAC Arena.
Makhachev (24-1) had to fend off a furious challenge from the 34-year-old Volkanovski but his grappling and wrestling prowess proved enough.
Volkanovski, a former concreter and rugby league player, impressed as he moved up a division. He landed several blows and dominated for stretches of the contest but fell in his second defeat from 27 fights.
Among the other bouts on the main card, Mexico’s Yair Rodriguez choked out American Josh Emmett to become the interim featherweight champion.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid,” said Rodriguez before holding up his championship belt.
The 30-year-old, who earned the submission in the second round, will take on Volkanovski at a later date.
In the welterweight division, hometown Perth hero Jack Della Maddalena defeated Jamaican Randy Brown by submission.
It was the first UFC event staged in Australia since the Covid-19 pandemic with the country enduring strict border controls for most of 2020 and 2021.
– Additional reporting by AP
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