His UFC dream might have to wait, but Jack Becker is the real deal.

That was the sentiment from Australian MMA fans after the Perth fighter suffered the first loss of his career to UFC hopeful Callan Potter in Melbourne on Friday night.

It was an unofficial UFC audition for both men - the previously undefeated Becker (9-1) and his more experienced and battle-tested Victorian opponent.

Potter (16-5), who defended his Hex Fight Series lightweight title for the first time, has been calling for a shot in the UFC for a while.

He's the highest-ranked Australian lightweight outside the US promotion and an eighth consecutive win could very well earn him a contract.

The UFC reached out to Becker in the lead-up to the fight and let him know he was on the radar ahead of UFC 221 at Perth Arena.

He had his moments in a thrilling co-main event at Hex FS 12, taking Potter's back twice, landing some sharp elbows and looking for submissions.

While the Mach 1 product more than held his own on the ground against a highly-rated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, it was the stand-up which caused problems.

He was rocked in the first round but he recovered well with a single-leg takedown.

Potter seemed the more composed of the two as both men threw and landed some solid shots.

The end came 30 seconds into round number three when the champion stunned the contender with a left hand then dropped him with a thumping right hook.

You could argue the referee jumped in prematurely but Becker isn't interested in that line of thought.

There is a lot he can learn from a back-and-forth loss against one of the region's best.

"The way (Potter) controlled the cage and put on forward pressure with really clean shots was something you don’t get without experience," Becker told Fighting Words.

"Feeling that pressure really put me off my game. He was very composed.

"I was really sure my best would have been enough to finish him but that experience just showed.

"He said exactly what would happen. He weathered a storm and then he finished me. It was surprising and impressive."

Becker doubts the UFC will come knocking on his door for the Perth event after a loss but it's still early days in his career.

"I’d say that’s probably not going to happen now to be honest," Becker said.

"If you’re coming off a loss more than like you’re not going to get that shot.

"It would have been cool. For a while there were a lot of people talking to me about the UFC coming to Perth.

Hex Fight Series 12, Melbourne, November 24 – full results

Jim Crute (c) def. Steven Warby via UD – Hex FS light heavyweight title

Callan Potter (c) def. Jack Becker via TKO (punches) round three – Hex FS lightweight title

Israel Adesanya def. Stu Dare via KO (head kick) round one – Hex FS middleweight title

Greg Atzori def. Lance Ettia via submission (rear-naked choke) round three

Ricky Camp def. Hiroyuki Oshiro via UD

Richard Lockett def. Jordan O’Connor via submission (guillotine choke) round one

Benjamin Sosoli def. Kora Maea via KO (punch) round one

Aidan Aguilera def. Shem Murdoch via TKO (punches) round two

John Vake def. Stephen Walton via submission (arm-triangle choke) round one