Dricus du Plessis retained his middleweight title against Sean Strickland at UFC 312. (Getty Images: Jeff Bottari via Zuffa LLC)
Debate about whether the UFC should be popular, which rages every time the MMA giant returns to these shores, misses the point.
That battle was over long ago and the people have spoken.
Mixed martial arts doesn't have to be for everyone, but the appetite for it in this country is undeniable and it has been since the first event in Australia in 2010. That card was, at the time, the fastest sell-out in UFC history.
Back then, as they were on Sunday for UFC 312, fans were milling around Olympic Park from 9am, a good two hours before the first fight of the day.
The anticipation was palpable as Alex Pereria, the light-heavyweight world champion who has become one of the biggest stars in MMA in recent years, did a meet and greet out the front of the arena. The line to shake his hand or take a selfie was 400m long.
Despite a lack of local or international stars outside of the twin title fights, the crowd was well and truly up for it from the opening fight of the day as they have been all week.
There are still worthwhile debates around MMA's place in the wider sporting culture but after almost 20 years in the mainstream it's undeniable that it is a part of that culture.
Controversial American Sean Strickland battered at UFC 312
Photo shows Dricus Du Plessis smiles
The "human cockfighting" line from US senator John McCain that critics often return to was made almost 30 years ago and the man who made it came around on the UFC eventually — a decade or so later, he said he would have participated in MMA in his youth.
There will always be some for whom it is unpalatable, which is understandable because it is the bloodiest and most brutal of the mainstream sports but that same rawness is exactly what attracts such vocal and committed followers, who will show up and show out for it.
The state government's decision to outlay $16 million to bring a series of UFC events to Sydney captures a large slice of those followers and while the deal will continue to attract criticism from a political or philosophical standpoint, in terms of economic generation it does exactly what it's supposed to do.
The numbers (the UFC's last card in Sydney injected over $15 million into the local economy) don't lie and neither does the sound of the packed arena in Homebush on Sunday, which is exactly what the government paid for and exactly what they got.
But that comes with complications, the greatest of which over the first two events of the deal has proved to be Sean Strickland, who took on Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title in UFC 312's main event.
Strickland has views that are beyond controversial and is not shy about sharing them in the crudest terms possible.
Even in combat sports, which by their nature attracts extreme personalities, he is so far out on the fringes in terms of the type of attention he intentionally courts that he just about stands alone.
He is also an unlikely star ever since he won the middleweight title from Israel Adesanya in Sydney back in 2023 in what was one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
Strickland lost that title to du Plessis 12 months ago but this week he enjoyed a warm reception from the fans at the various pre-fight events.
When he walked out for the main event on Sunday the cheers were loud and long, until it became clear that du Plessis had the fight in hand on route to a unanimous decision victory.
Du Plessis has made a rapid and somewhat unlikely rise to the title based on an unorthodox style that prizes function over form. Nothing is done according to the textbook, but he manages to ace every test.
But he showed a greater striking sophistication than ever before to outpoint Strickland across five rounds, establishing range with his kicking game and staying on the job in a fine show of fighting discipline.
Strickland's game is built around volume and consistency through the fight but the power of the South African told time and again as he got the better of most exchanges.
The key moment came early in the fourth, when du Plessis broke Strickland's nose with a hard right cross. He fell short of landing the killer blow but it propelled him to a leave that proved insurmountable as Strickland's corner urged him to go for broke in the final round only for the American to fight with the same style as always.
Over the course of the final few rounds some boos floated down on the two combatants. Strickland has a habit of promising total mayhem in the cage but finds it almost impossible to revert from his steady, methodical patterns.
Du Plessis, who seems to thrive in wild firefights, did what he could to press the action as time ticked away for Strickland and that same crowed that responded to him began to turn. In person, under the lights where the blood seems brighter, they fans want what they were promised.
As he returned to his corner after the final bell, Strickland cursed aloud. Like the rest of the arena, he knew the result before it was read as du Plessis closed the door on their rivalry in definitive fashion.
There was action enough on the rest of the card, most notably when Weili Zhang reaffirmed her status as one of the best female fighters of her time with a dominant strawweight title defence over Tatiana Suarez .
Local fighters also made their mark. Victorian stalwart Jake Matthews scored an impressive win, as did Queensland prospect Tom Nolan.
ABC Sport Daily podcast
Perth product Quillan Salkilld got things started in hectic fashion with a thunderous, 19-second knockout win over Anshul Jubil in the opening fight of the morning.
It was a stirring debut for the lightweight and a welcome injection of young Australian talent into the UFC.
The nation is coming off a golden era of UFC top-liners, headlined by two world champions in Robert Whittaker and Alex Volkanovski. But with some of those stars closer to the end of their careers than the start, new blood is always welcome.
They'll all get a chance to fight at home again soon. The UFC will return to Sydney before long. The gate broke their own record for the biggest gate for an arena event in Australian history. The same fans who queued to see Periera will turn up again next time.
When they do, the same debate will resume through the week about the government paying for such an event and on Sunday the same will result will ensue.
UFC president Dana White will look to steamroll his way through any criticism, as is his style. The punters will turn up from far and wide, even if the star power isn't quite there.
They'll pony for the tickets and the accommodation and the flights and the beer and the coffers will swell and if there's enough action to satisfy them they'll go home happy.
Everyone will get what they want, which is exactly what they paid for.