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MMA is one of the world's most global sports, with international stars often clashing in the UFC on some of the biggest fight nights. While Australia hasn’t traditionally been a source of talent in the sport, there has been no shortage of excellent athletes who have made their mark at the top level of competition. MMA is becoming more popular nationwide, as evidenced by the UFC's recent massive event in Australia, which sold out in record time. These events are among the most popular bettors in the country, with many looking to claim sports betting bonuses before making their wagers. But who are some of the Australian stars that have excelled in the world of MMA throughout recent history?
There have been few more celebrated Australian MMA stars in recent history than Alexander Volkanovski. The 35-year-old was born in Wollongong and competes in UFC's featherweight division. Back on home soil, the fighter won the Australian Fighting Championship before making his UFC debut in 2016.
He immediately became one of the company's standout names, landing the UFC Featherweight Championship against Max Holloway in December 2019 at UFC 245. Volkanovski was the dominant fighter in the division for many years, successfully defending the title on five occasions before stepping into the Lightweight division.
However, his fights in that class haven’t exactly gone to plan, as Islam Makhachev beat him for the Lightweight championship in Perth in February 2023. But, he bounced back to winning ways to retain the Featherweight gold with a TKO finish against Yair Rodriguez in July before losing in a rematch against Makhachev at UFC 294.
Despite being born in New Zealand, Robert Whittaker has called Australia home since moving to Sydney to pursue his goals in MMA. The 32-year-old enjoyed early professional success in MMA after winning the SFA Welterweight Championship in March 2012, but his career has taken off since moving to the UFC.
He won The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes in December 2012 and quickly made a name for himself on the maid roster with a TKO win against Colton Smith in May 2013. Whittaker would win his first championship in UFC in July 2017 after scoring a decision win against Yoel Romero at UFC 213 to capture the undisputed UFC Middleweight Championship.
However, his reign would be short-lived, as the popular fighter Israel Adesanya beat him in October 2019. However, he remains one of the most impressive Australian MMA stars on the planet after winning 24 of his 31 professional bouts.
Mark Hunt is another New Zealand-born star Australia has adopted as its own. Hunt fights out of Sydney after moving to the nation to pursue his career in MMA. He immediately captured the imagination after winning the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix, and he would continue his dominance by finishing third in the following year’s edition.
However, his focus switched to MMA in 2004, and he was named the Rookie of the Year by Fight Matrix. Despite losing on debut in UFC in September 2010, he quickly got back on track with three stunning KO wins in four bouts between 2011 and 2013. Hunt would be awarded with a title opportunity at UFC 180, but he was shockingly beaten in the second round by Fabricio Werdum.
During his career, he would compete against some of the biggest names in the heavyweight division, including Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 on the star’s return to the promotion. However, his career in UFC ended on home soil in Australia following defeat against Justin Willis in December 2018.
Tai Tuivasa is one of the brightest new Australian stars in the UFC, and he could be set for a big year in 2024. The Sydney-born star is currently ranked ninth in the heavyweight rankings, and he has made a dominant start to his professional career after winning 14 of his 20 bouts.
However, he will be looking to make a better start to 2024 when he takes on Marcin Tybura at UFC 298 after losing each of his last three bouts. He is a fighter who has helped improve the popularity of UFC in his homeland after winning the Performance of the Night bonus on three occasions and the Fight of the Night accolade once.
The future of MMA in Australia looks extremely bright, as there is no shortage of stars playing a prominent role for the nation at the sport's top level. Their success will likely inspire the next generation of fighters, meaning it could be only a matter of time before Australia has another world champion.
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