Heartbreak when Alexander Volkanovski was beaten in title showdown

“I never counted, I expected to win so I’m disappointed. I knew I could have done more,” Volkanovski told reporters.

“There were positions where I thought ‘He’s not strong’… I didn’t immediately capitalize on what I should have done and I realized that later.

“I’m going to watch the fight, do some research, but it’s pretty clear I could have won that fight. That’s why I’m hard on myself.”

Yair Rodriguez previously dominated Josh Emmett in an interim featherweight title fight that established the Mexican as the No. 1 contender to challenge Volkanovski once he loses weight again to defend his belt.

Volkanovski said Rodriguez was a deserving title contender but made it clear he also wanted a rematch with Makhachev.

Hometown welterweight Jack Della Maddalena previously brought down the house with a first-round submission win over American Randy Brown.

It took rising star Della Maddalena just two minutes and 13 seconds to claim the win, knocking Brown down with a powerful punch before applying a naked chokehold that forced his opponent to tap.

The 26-year-old has had first-round wins in each of his first four UFC fights.

Brisbane heavyweight Justin Tafa took just over a minute to knock out Parker Porter, while fellow light heavyweight Jimmy Crute fought American Alonzo Menifield in an entertaining majority draw.

AAP