Brando Pericic looked like a world beater earlier this morning (Sat., May 2, 2026) at UFC Perth LIVE on Paramount+ from inside RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, as “The Balkan Bear” put a violent stop to heavyweight veteran Shamil Gaziev via second-round knockout (punch).
The first five minutes of this fight was wildly entertaining (though it wasn’t as good as this heavyweight classic). Both Pericic and Gaziev landed hard shots that would have put out almost any other heavyweight fighter. Somehow the two men stayed on their feet and delivered an all-out war of punches to the head and body. The Australian crowd — and those in the U.S. watching the fights bright and early — were pleasantly surprised.
It was almost a guarantee that someone’s chin was going to fail in the following round and that’s exactly what happened. Pericic began to press Gaziev even more on the feet with body shots and quick right hands. The offense stunned Gaziev pretty badly and had him wobbly along the cage. That’s when Pericic stepped in to deliver one final right hand that sent Gaziev crashing to the canvas and left “Balkan Bear” with the biggest victory of his career thus far.
Check out the video highlights below:
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