"The event, it seemed, was doomed almost from the outset. Whether it was heavyweight Mark Hunt's withdrawal from the main event due to "medical concerns" or Joanne Calderwood's scratching because of an "undisclosed injury", a doping violation for The Ultimate Fighter Series: Redemption winner Jesse Taylor, and then four separate weight misses on the card's eve, UFC Fight Night Sydney had more than its fair share of missteps."
"Then came the 13 fights, all but two of which went the distance, setting a new mark for the longest UFC event of all time with 3:04:18 actual fight time, a record that stood for over two-and-a-half years until it was eclipsed at UFC 251. There were however a couple of moments to excite the local fans, including Tai Tuivasa's sensational flying knee KO of Rashad Coulter, and Alexander Volkanovski's complete domination of Shane Young."
UFC Fight Night Sydney in 2017 suffered multiple disruptions including a main-event withdrawal for medical reasons, a scratched bout due to injury, a doping violation, and four weight misses on the eve. A comical boomerang incident led to assault charges and a fine. Thirteen fights produced a then-record 3:04:18 of actual fight time with all but two fights going the distance. Local fans saw Tai Tuivasa score a flying-knee knockout and Alexander Volkanovski dominate Shane Young. Nearly 3,000 days after that win, Volkanovski earned a home-soil title fight and expressed pride in supporting Australian events.
Read at ESPN.com
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