Robert Whittaker put an exclamation point main event finish on a show filled with question mark decisions on Sunday (Saturday night in North America). In doing so, Whittaker could be what every promotion hopes for, a national star fighter in a country that UFC clearly has a substantial fanbase.
Australia has been one of the UFC's strongest international markets ever since Cain Velasquez and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira opened things up in 2010 with a show in Sydney. But, like New York and Toronto, Melbourne, the country's strongest UFC market, wouldn't allow cage fighting until last year. The company set its attendance record for its first show at Etihad Stadium with 56,214 fans last year.