UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Conor McBragger
- May 20
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura took place on Sunday, November 19, 2017 (Saturday, November 18 in North America) at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia — broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 to 815,000 average viewers (775k FS1 prelims). The card drew 10,021 fans. It was the fifth UFC event in Sydney and the first since UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping in November 2014. The main event was a heavyweight bout between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum and Marcin Tybura.
Werdum stopped Tybura in the main event. The card’s most discussed off-competition story was Fabricio Werdum’s assault on Colby Covington — who had visited Sydney for post-fight promotion following his controversial São Paulo comments — with a boomerang outside a Sydney hotel. Werdum was charged with common assault and fined $600. The preliminary card featured Alexander Volkanovski’s second UFC win, Tai Tuivasa’s UFC debut, and early career appearances by Belal Muhammad and Jake Matthews.
Sydney Returns, Hunt’s Withdrawal & The Boomerang Incident
Mark Hunt had been originally booked to headline against Marcin Tybura — a commercially ideal booking for the Sydney market given Hunt’s New Zealand / Pacific Islander following in Australia. On October 10, Hunt was pulled by the UFC citing ‘medical concerns.’ Hunt had recently made public statements about difficulty sleeping and beginning to slur his words and stutter — the first public discussion by Hunt of potential CTE-related symptoms. The UFC’s statement noted these were the first they had heard of these concerns. Fabricio Werdum, who had submitted Walt Harris at UFC 216 on October 7, replaced Hunt.
Colby Covington was in Sydney for promotional activities following his São Paulo win over Demian Maia and his controversial post-fight comments. Werdum, who had publicly criticised Covington’s Brazil comments, encountered Covington near a Sydney hotel and struck him with a boomerang. Covington did not sustain serious injury. New South Wales Police charged Werdum with common assault. He was subsequently found guilty and fined AUD $600 (approximately USD $450). The incident was widely covered in MMA and Australian mainstream media.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Sunday, November 19, 2017 AUS / Saturday, November 18, 2017 North America (5th UFC in Sydney; 1st since November 2014)
📍 Venue: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
👥 Attendance: 10,021
📺 Broadcast: Fox Sports 1 — 815,000 avg. viewers (775k FS1 prelims)
Main Event: Werdum Defeats Tybura
Werdum’s return to Sydney — his first Australian UFC appearance since his memorable UFC 193 main event loss to Stipe Miocic in November 2015 — provided the crowd with a recognisable name after Hunt’s withdrawal. Tybura had won three consecutive UFC fights entering Sydney, including a unanimous decision over Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 120 in Norfolk just one week earlier.
Tuivasa’s Debut, Volkanovski’s 2nd Win, Muhammad & The Card
Tai Tuivasa’s UFC debut against Rashad Coulter was the Sydney card’s most crowd-pleasing individual result. Tuivasa — a 24-year-old Aboriginal Australian from Mount Druitt, Sydney — competed in his home city for his first UFC appearance. His subsequent shoey celebrations — drinking beer from his own fighting shoe in the Octagon while holding a KO or TKO victim in his arms — became one of the UFC’s most memorable post-fight rituals. Alexander Volkanovski’s decision over Shane Young was his second consecutive UFC win, following his Auckland debut at UFC Fight Night 110 in June 2017.
Belal Muhammad’s win over Tim Means was an early career appearance for a fighter who would eventually earn the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 304 in July 2024. Jake Matthews — an Australian WW — defeated Bojan Velickovic in a co-main contextualised fight, providing another Australian winner for the Sydney crowd. The women’s co-main event between Bec Rawlings and Jessica-Rose Clark — both Australian fighters — was the event’s most locally resonant individual fight context.
Full Results
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Jessica-Rose Clark def. Bec Rawlings — Women’s FW (BOTH AUSTRALIAN; Sydney crowd reception)
Belal Muhammad def. Tim Means — WW (early career Belal Muhammad; future UFC WW champion at UFC 304 July 2024)
Jake Matthews def. Bojan Velickovic — WW (Matthews is AUSTRALIAN; home crowd)
Elias Theodorou def. Daniel Kelly — MW
Alexander Volkanovski def. Shane Young — FW (Volkanovski’s 2ND UFC WIN; future UFC FW champion at UFC 245 December 2019)
Preliminary Card (FS1 / UFC Fight Pass)
Ryan Benoit def. Ashkan Mokhtarian — FW
Nik Lentz def. Will Brooks — LW
Tai Tuivasa def. Rashad Coulter — HW (TAI TUIVASA’S UFC DEBUT; Aboriginal Australian from Sydney; home city debut; future crowd favourite shoey star)
Frank Camacho def. Damien Brown — WW
Adam Wieczorek def. A. Hamilton — MW (Wieczorek’s fight had been cancelled at Gdansk FN118 due to football ultra threats; rescheduled here)
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Bonuses: Fabricio Werdum + Marcin Tybura earned Fight of the Night; Tai Tuivasa and Belal Muhammad earned Performance of the Night (results based on standard UFC bonus reporting for the event)
Records & Milestones
• Tai Tuivasa’s UFC debut — Aboriginal Australian fighter from Sydney competing in his home city; beginning of one of the UFC HW division’s most entertaining crowd-friendly careers.
• Alexander Volkanovski’s 2nd consecutive UFC win — building toward the UFC FW Championship at UFC 245 in December 2019.
• Fabricio Werdum charged with common assault for hitting Colby Covington with a boomerang in Sydney — one of the most unusual post-fight legal incidents in UFC history.
Legacy & Impact
Tai Tuivasa’s Sydney debut opened a UFC HW career that became one of the division’s most commercially distinctive: his post-fight shoey celebrations (drinking from his own shoe) made him one of the UFC’s most recognisable entertainment personalities from 2017 onwards. His Sydney debut — in front of an Australian home crowd — established the performance-entertainment standard that subsequent fans expected from his fights. Belal Muhammad’s Sydney preliminary win was step two of a WW career that eventually produced the UFC WW Championship at UFC 304 in July 2024.
FAQ
Why was Mark Hunt pulled from the main event?
Hunt had made public statements about health issues that included difficulty sleeping and beginning to slur his words and stutter — language that suggested possible neurological symptoms consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from sustained head trauma across his K-1 and MMA career. The UFC pulled him from the card on October 10 citing ‘medical concerns,’ noting these were the first statements Hunt had made publicly about these symptoms. Hunt had been a vocal critic of the UFC’s handling of his Brock Lesnar no-contest at UFC 200.
What exactly happened with the boomerang?
Werdum encountered Colby Covington near a Sydney hotel after the event. Covington had been in Australia for promotional appearances following his controversial São Paulo win over Maia. Werdum, who had been publicly critical of Covington’s ‘filthy animals’ post-fight comments, struck Covington with a boomerang souvenir item. Covington did not sustain serious injury. NSW Police charged Werdum with common assault. He was found guilty and fined AUD $600. The UFC imposed a voluntary hiatus from competition for the first half of 2018.
Who was Tai Tuivasa before his UFC debut?
Tuivasa was a 24-year-old Aboriginal Australian heavyweight from Mount Druitt, a suburb of western Sydney. He had gone 6-0 professionally before his UFC signing with four KO/TKO finishes. His physical profile — 6’1”, 264 lb — was competitive at HW. His debut KO of Rashad Coulter in front of a Sydney crowd established his fan connection: the crowd’s reception for an Aboriginal Australian fighter in his home city was the emotional foundation of his subsequent fan loyalty. His shoey post-fight celebrations began after UFC Sydney.
What was Volkanovski’s position after his 2nd UFC win?
Volkanovski was a 28-year-old Australian featherweight with a 12-1 professional record after his Sydney win over Young. His 2-0 UFC start had not yet produced a ranked win or a high-profile individual moment — Young was 6-1 professionally but not an established UFC name. Volkanovski’s subsequent UFC development produced wins over Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo before his title fight against Max Holloway at UFC 245 in December 2019. Sydney was step two of a 13-fight UFC unbeaten run.
Who was Belal Muhammad at this stage?
Muhammad was a 29-year-old Palestinian-American welterweight from the Chicago area who had debuted in the UFC in December 2016. His Sydney win over Means was his second UFC fight. His subsequent WW career produced 11 consecutive UFC wins (including a 2021 No Contest against Leon Edwards) before his UFC WW Championship win at UFC 304 in July 2024, when he submitted Leon Edwards in round three. Sydney was step two of a championship-trajectory career.
What was the Adam Wieczorek situation?
Wieczorek’s fight against Anthony Hamilton had originally been booked for the Gdansk card (UFC Fight Night 118) on October 21. The fight was cancelled the day before that event after Lechia Gdansk football ultras showed up to the venue, creating safety concerns because Wieczorek is a known supporter of rival club Ruch Chorzow. The UFC rescheduled the fight for the Sydney card one month later. Wieczorek won the Sydney fight — the competitive resolution of the Gdansk cancellation story.
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