Louie Sutherland Steps In for UFC Perth on One Week's Notice

louie sutherland is now the opponent for Tai Tuivasa at UFC Perth, stepping in on one week's notice after Sean Sharaf withdrew because of injury. The heavyweight bout was added to the card just over a week before the event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Tuivasa’s six-fight slide

Tuivasa enters the matchup on six straight fights without a win, and the new booking drops him into another pressure fight after his most recent loss, a unanimous decision to Tallison Teixeira at UFC 325. He is still searching for the form that once carried him to a five-fight knockout streak, the best stretch of his UFC career.

That run started after he joined the UFC in 2018 with an undefeated record. He beat Andrei Arlovski by decision at UFC 225, then knocked out back-to-back opponents in the first round, before the streak ended against Ciryl Gane at UFC Paris in the third round. Their fight earned Fight of the Night honors, but the result still pushed Tuivasa deeper into the skid he now carries into Perth.

Louie Sutherland’s quick turnaround

Sutherland gets the kind of short-notice assignment heavyweight fighters often accept when a card loses an opponent late. He will be looking for his first Octagon win, and he comes in off first-round stoppage losses in his previous two UFC bouts.

That makes the matchup a blunt test for both men. Tuivasa needs to stop the slide, and Sutherland needs to turn a rapid replacement spot into his first UFC victory. With the fight now set for RAC Arena, the key change for the Perth card is simple: Tuivasa still gets a heavyweight bout, but against a fresh opponent who has less than a full camp to prepare and a clear need to survive the early rounds.