Former UFC world heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has moved closer to getting another title shot with a unanimous points win over Marcin Tybura in Sydney.
Brazil's former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum won his Sydney battle in the octagon on Sunday and is equally confident of victory in a court in the same city next month.
Second-ranked Werdum, 40, controlled the five-round bout against his eighth-rated 32-year-old Polish opponent Marcin Tybura at Qudos Bank Arena, winning 50-45 on two judges' cards and 49-46 on the third.
The Brazilian was charged with common assault for allegedly using a boomerang to attack fellow fighter Colby Covington in a daylight street brawl outside a luxury hotel in Sydney's CBD on Thursday.
He is due to face Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on December 13.
"It just hit his shoulder, it was nothing," Werdum said.
He said he could return one week before the court date and was confident the outcome would be in his favour.
"One hundred per cent - like a fight,' Werdun said.
UFC senior vice-president of international and content David Shaw said his organisation had spoken to Werdum, Covington, hotel security and police.
"There's still a process that we need to go through, at this point it's in the hands of the NSW Police," Shaw said.
Werdum said he believed he deserved another title shot, but praised Tybura for his toughness.
"I tried to finish the fight a lot of times, but he had a good defence," Werdum said.
The ten Australians on the 13-bout card attended by just over 10,000 fans, finished 5-5 on the day.
UFC debutante Jessica-Rose Clark caused a minor upset in the co-main event, scoring a split decision points win over fellow Australian Bec Rawlings.
Las Vegas-based Clark, who came in over the flyweight limit on Saturday, only took the fight on November 7.
"It felt like a perfect storm. It's my 30th (birthday) in a couple of days and I really wanted to come home for my birthday and couldn't afford it and then this fight happened," Clark said.
UFC debutant and former Sydney Roosters under 20 rugby league player Tai Tuivasa knocked out American Rashad Coulter in the first round.
It was the first UFC win by an Australian indigenous figher, with 24-year-old Tuivasa, earning a a performance bonus after a devastating knee blow ended the fight early.
Victorian Jake Matthews move up to welterweight proved successful,as he broke a two-fight loss streak with a split points win over Serbian Bojan Velickovic.
Queensland lightweight Damien Brown lost a split decision to Guam's Frank Camacho in a classic slugfest, which earned fight of the night honours.
Four-time judo Olympian Daniel Kelly dropped a unanimous points decision to Canadian middleweight Elias Theodorou.
The first of two Australian 2018 UFC events in Australia will be in Perth next February, with Shaw hoping Australia's interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will headline the card.
