British heavyweight Louie Sutherland has declared his stunning victory over Tai Tuivasa at UFC Perth a "changing of the guard" in the division—and he did it all on just one week's notice.

Stepping in as a late replacement after Sean Sharaf withdrew, Sutherland flew from the UK to Australia with barely any time to prepare. The 31-year-old, who had previously competed at UFC London in March, earned his first win under the promotion's banner at the third attempt, securing a unanimous decision victory with all three judges scoring the bout 30-26.

"I know I'm good enough to compete in the top 10 or 15 of this division," Sutherland said. "My coaches keep telling me to take my time and it will come, but I'm here to fight. If you call me on a week's notice I'll come—it doesn't matter who it is. I'm a big fan of Tai, so to get a win over him is bittersweet, and it feels like a changing of the guard."

The win improves Sutherland's overall record to 11 wins and five defeats, while Tuivasa's future in the UFC now hangs in the balance after a seventh consecutive loss. For Sutherland, this victory was a long time coming after a chaotic start to his UFC journey.

His would-be debut in Perth last September was cancelled on 24 hours' notice when opponent Justin Tafa withdrew due to illness. He then lost his actual debut the following month against Valter Walker on just 10 days' notice, and his spot in the promotion was under threat after a defeat to Brando Pericic in his home city earlier this year.

But this triumph over Australia's own Tuivasa—combined with his willingness to step up at a moment's notice—has earned Sutherland serious credibility. "It's overwhelming because I took a short notice fight against Walter, who I thought I could win against," he reflected. "I finally came here on a week's notice and it feels sweet, it feels amazing. Me and my coaches said it: we did a big 360. We started here and it didn't go to plan with Tafa pulling out, but listen, that's on a week's notice."