Tyson Pedro and Tai Tuivasa impress at UFC 221.

This past Saturday, UFC 221 in Perth displayed some promising local talent. Among the best winners on the card were good friends Tyson Pedro and Tai Tuivasa. Both achieved spectacular finish victories and set their home crowd on fire.

At lightheavyweight, Tyson submitted Saparbek Safarov in the first round with a kimura, improving his record to 7-1.

Primarily a striker, Pedro was content to stand and bang with Safarov in the early going. He did a good job avoiding the takedowns and landing damage. Late in the round Safarov pinned pedro to the fence with a bodylock, and Pedro laced up his arm with a double wrist lock. He turned it violently behind the Safarov’s back, forcing him to the ground where he finished the submission.

“Man we haven’t practiced Kimuras at all,” Pedro said post fight. “But he was really low on it and I grabbed on and just ripped it, I know he wasn’t going to hold on. I put my leg up and just got it. He hit pretty hard for a Dadbod.”

All seven of Pedro’s wins have been first-round stoppages, this put’s him in great position to move up the shallow lightheavyweight division.

Heavyweight, Tai Tuivasa had a similarly impressive win

The 24-year-old nicknamed “Bam Bam” is now 2-0 with two KO’s in the UFC, the first coming at UFC Sydney a few months ago.

Tuivasa brutalized his opponent Cyril Asker for the majority of the fight. Cyril was grounded by a push when the referee realized he was all but unconscious and finally waved the fight off.

“I just want to fight, keep getting paid, baby,” Tuivasa said.

Tuivasa is now 7-0 with seven first-round knockouts.

The two friends have started a podcast called the Halfcast Podcast, which has already featured some impressive Aussie guests including Mark Hunt, Robert Whittaker, and John Wayne Parr. Undamaged, they will each likely fight again this summer, ideally on a card with fellow countryman and Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.

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