New Zealand's Brad Riddell has marked his UFC arrival with an enthralling unanimous-decision victory over Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 243 in Melbourne on Sunday.
'Quake' and his Australian opponent sent Marvel Stadium into raptures with a captivating display of non-stop warfare to set the tone for Auckland's City Kickboxing contingent at the event.
After a final stanza that may well be a nominee for the UFC's Round of the Year, Riddell eventually had his hand raised to claim his fourth straight win and fire a warning shot to the rest of the lightweight division.
"In your debut you want to perform and impress solidify your spot and prove you belong in the UFC," Riddell said post-fight. "He wanted to be there, but I wanted to be there more.
"I was willing to kill in there but I was also willing to die in there. I knew I was going to come out on my shield and leave everything in there, and I feel like I did that.
"At one stage my legs were heavy I was struggling to stand up. But I got up and kept punching, it was just pure Mana."
Riddell made his entrance to AC/DC's seminal 'Thunderstruck' to instantly garner some favour with the rawkus crowd, all part of an experience he described as beyond his wildest expectations.
"I could see my whole gym, it was turning up to training. It felt like I was just soaking in their energy, not to lose the energy but to use it.
"It took me a little while to get my eye in. It wasn't my best performance, but it was a performance."
His assessment aside, Riddell will likely be at the front of the queue for a post-fight performance bonus.
His sights are now set on joining the UFC 245 card in December, alongside teammates Alexander Volkanovski and Kai Kara-France.
Riddell got the better of the early exchanges, despite Mullarkey having some success with his jab. The Kiwi did well to defend early takedowns, until a late salvo from Riddell, with a big left hook, closed a tight opening round.
The Christchurch native came out more aggressively in the second and found a home for his kicks, before Mullarkey looked to take the fight to the ground again and - again - was expertly repelled by Riddell.
Mullarkey persisted with takedown attempts, but Riddell remained resolute in defence, eventually breaking clear and immediately going back to work with his kicks.
With a minute left in the round, Riddell reversed another takedown attempt into full mount and worked a handful of uppercuts, then briefly threatened with a rare-naked choke, until Mullarkey was able to work his way out of trouble.
The contest exploded in the final round, as the pair exchanged shots with reckless abandon and mouthpieces flew to the mat.
Both fighters emptied the gas tank, but Riddell had the most in reserve, as he wobbled Mullarkey on a few occasions on his way to a definitive 10-8 round to seal a memorable win.
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