Rowston stops Petroski in UFC debut in Perth

Cameron Rowston made a winning UFC debut Saturday in emphatic fashion, stopping veteran Andre Petroski by TKO at 2 minutes, 41 seconds of the first round at the RAC Arena in Perth. The 30-year-old Australian, nicknamed Battle Giraffe, dropped Petroski with a short left hand, survived a brief armbar threat, then finished with heavy ground and pound that prompted referee Steve Perceval to wave the fight off.

The result cemented a striking-first blueprint that Rowston had been expected to bring into the matchup. Coming in as an underdog to the more experienced Petroski, Rowston used his length and striking to control the opening minute, landing a knee to the body and mixing punches and kicks before the decisive left hand that put the fight on the mat. Petroski, a wrestler by trade who has relied on grappling and control throughout his UFC run, attempted an armbar from his back but was unable to secure a submission. Rowston responded with follow-up strikes until the stoppage.

The pairing had appeared on paper as a classic striker versus grappler clash. Oddsmakers initially made Petroski the favorite, with lines suggesting a roughly 59 percent implied probability of victory for the...