As the Ultimate Fighting Championship is gaining increasing popularity in Australia, the land Down Under is producing more and more exceptional fighters who are regularly competing in UFC. Here we take a look at the best Australian MMA fighters and some of the key moments that brought them here.
On 23 February 2001, during UFC 30, Australia’s own Elvis Sinosic stepped into the Octagon for the first time to face an American fighter named Jeremy Horn at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. The King of Rock n Rumble, as Sinosic was affectionately known, had barely fought competitively, although making his UFC debut at age 30.
The Australian fighter’s opponent, Horn, had recorded 53 competitive fights, yet despite his young age, had experience on his side; The King beat Horn by submission in the first round and became the first Australian fighter in UFC history.
Since then, the number of Aussies in the UFC has continued to grow and to date, there are more than enough of them in the promotion’s current roster to create a Top 10 list.
In this Best Australian UFC Fighters story…
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the Top 10 Australian Fighters in UFC in 2023.
Alexander Volkanovski
On top of the list is the former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Born in Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, Alexander the Great is also the UFC’s No. 7 ranked pound-for-pound fighter. He sits behind his UFC 284 & UFC 29, Islam Makhachev, who sits at number one, the GOAT Jon Jones, who is number 2, and Illia Topuria, who defeated him to claim the featherweight belt in February 2024.
His match with Topuria was initially scheduled for January 20, 2024. But after his impromptu second fight with Makhachev, it was pushed back to February 17, 2024, for UFC 298. Volanovski was unfortunately knocked out in the second round and lost the title fight.
The 35-year-old opened his UFC career with 12 consecutive victories. At UFC 245, Volk dethroned Max Holloway to win the UFC’s 145-pound division. He successfully defended the title four times, including two against Holloway before his loss to Topuria. Volkanovski also owns notable UFC wins over Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, and The Korean Zombie. He is 26-4 with 13 knockouts and 3 submission wins.
UFC 284: Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski
In February 2023, Alexander Volkanovski took to the Octagon at UFC 284 in Perth, in an audacious bid to become a double champion. After an explosive 25-minute bout in which both Islam Makhachev of Dagestan, Russia and Volkanovski traded blows through the five rounds.
Ultimately, it went to the cards, with Makhachev’s unparalleled grappling countering Volkanovski’s signature striking throughout, but in the end, the man from Dagestan prevailed, defeating the Australian in his own backyard by unanimous decision.
UFC 294: Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski had just 12 days to prepare for an unexpected lightweight title rematch against the Russian fighter Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October 2023.
The current featherweight champion, Volkanovski stepped up after Charles Oliveira withdrew with a facial injury sustained during a training session. The Australian took the headline bout with next to no notice and was undone by a well-prepared and fierce opponent.
Volkanovski fell hard in the first round of the highly-anticipated fight at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. A well-placed Makhachev shin found the top of the Australian’s head early into the bout, sending Volkanovski crashing; he was brutally KO’d.
However, Volkanovski, who was commended for showing up and taking on the title fight, was gracious, even in defeat. “He’s a great champion,” Volkanovski said of his opponent. “I back myself every single time and I still stand by that, always back yourself. Islam is one man who you don’t want to back yourself [against] if you don’t prepare properly because look what he can do to you, he’s that good. Credit to him.”
Robert Whittaker
If this list was written before Volk won the featherweight title, Robert Whittaker would have been on top of this rankings. The Reaper was the first Australian to win a UFC belt when he defeated Yoel Romero at UFC 217 to become the middleweight champion.
The Auckland-born Australian from Sydney won 9 consecutive bouts from June 2014 to June 2018. Bobby Knuckles is 6-3 since then, with two of his three losses to Isreal Adesanya, who dethroned him as the middleweight champion at UFC 243, and the other loss to Dricus Du Plessis, who knocked him out in the second round at UFC 290.
Aside from Romero, Whittaker has a resume that includes the likes of Jacare Souza, Uriah Hall, Derek Brunson, Darren Till, Jared Canonier, Kelvin Gastelum, and Marvin Vettori as victims. Whittaker is 26-7 with 10 KO wins and 5 victories by way of submission.
Robert Whittaker’s Next Fight
Since he just defeated Paulo Costa at UFC 298 in February, not much is known about his next potential match-up. Some fans are, however, already calling to see Whittaker square up against the American Sean “Tarzan” Strickland. Stricklnd’s last fight was in January, so this is a likely match-up.
Whittaker previously said on the MMArcade podcast that he loves to have at least eight weeks’ notice to prepare for a fight, so we’ll also have plenty of notice and will keep you updated.
Tai Tuivasa
Although Tai Tuivasa has been knocked out in back-to-back fights, the 30-year-old Sydney native is still the No. 7 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. Tuivasa played professional rugby for the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League for two years before transitioning to MMA in 2012.
Born to a Wiradjuri mother and Samoan father, this Sydney native opened his UFC career with a modest 3-3 mark. He then won five consecutive bouts, all via knockout, and took home three Performance of the Night bonuses during that span. Overall, Tuivasa has an impressive record with 15 wins and only 6 losses. All but one of his wins were by knockout.
At UFC 271, Tuivasa scored his biggest win inside the Octagon when he knocked out Derrick Lewis inside two rounds.
UFC 293: Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov
Tai Tuivasa returned to the Octagon at UFC 293 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, marking the first time that Bam Bam has competed on home soil since UFC 243 in 2019.
The Australian fighter took on Alexander Volkov in the co-main event of UFC 293, and we witnessed a big contest between two of the best heavyweights in the world, with a lot to lose. Tuivasa lost to Volkov by submission in the second round.
It also marked the second time that Tuivasa will be co-headlining an event that was bannered by Israel Adesanya after Bam Bam fought Derrick Lewis in the co-main event of UFC 271 in 2019.
Tai Tuivasa Next Fight
After Tai Tuivasa suffered a bad defeat at the hands of Alexander Volkov at UFC 293, the Australian fighter notched an unwanted three consecutive defeats in his last three fights; it’s the second time in his career.
Next, BamBam will face Marcin “Tybur” Tybura, the Polish heavyweight. It is sure to be an exciting watch.
Jack Della Maddalena
Jack Della Maddalena is a former Eternal Welterweight champion with four successful title defences to his name. The 27-year-old from Perth is the No. 11 ranked fighter in the UFC’s welterweight division. He was a product of the UFC’s Contender Series 39 where he beat Ange Loosa to earn a UFC contract.
Della Maddalena is the hottest Aussie prospect right now. He is now 8-0 in the UFC. His last two wins saw him win a split decision in the first and knock out his opponent in the third round in the second. Della Maddalena earned a Performance of the Night award for his three matches between June 11, 2022, and February 12, 2023. Again, on March 9, 2024, he earned the Performance of the Night award for his fight against Gilbert Burns.
Overall, he can boast a fierce record of 17-2-0 with 12 knockouts and 2 submission wins.
Casey O’Neill
The first and only woman on our list is the UFC’s No. 13 ranked female flyweight, Casey O’Neill.
Originally from Irvine, Scotland, the 26-year-old grew up in Gold Coast, Australia.
O’Neill is a former Eternal MMA women’s lightweight champion with one successful title defence. She opened her UFC career with impressive wins over Shana Dobson, Laura Procopio, Antonina Shevchenko, and Roxanne Modafferi.
However, O’Neil has picked up her first and second losses in her most recent appearances. She lost first against Jennifer Maia through a unanimous decision at UFC 286 on March 18, 2023, and again by submission against Ariane Lipski at UFC 296 on December 17, 2023. She is 9-2…
Casey O’Neil’s Next Fight
There is no information on when her next fight or who her next opponent will be. But once we know, we’ll let you know.
Jimmy Crute
Jimmy Crute began his pro-MMA career at Australia’s Hex Fighting Series where he was the light heavyweight champion. After going 7-0 in that promotion, he got an invitation to fight at the Dana White Contender Series 14 show where he knocked out Chis Birchler to earn a UFC contract.
Born in Singleton, New South Wales, “The Brute” made his presence felt early when he opened his UFC career with three wins in his first four Octagon assignments. That included back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses for submitting Michal Oleksiejczyk and knocking out Modestas Bukauskas.
Crute then suffered consecutive first-round KO losses to former title challenger Anthony Smith and current UFC And former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill. He then got a draw against Alonzo Menifield and lost the rematch by submission in the second round at UFC 290 on July 8, 2023. Crute is 12-4-1.
Jake Matthews
Jake Matthews opened his pro-MMA career in Australia, where he amassed a 7-0 record. That caught the UFC’s eye as the promotion cast him as one of the fighters in The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs Australia in 2013. Although he was ousted during his first bout in the tournament, the 28-year-old from Melbourne got the call from the UFC in 2014.
Matthews had mixed results early in his UFC tenure but since moving up to welterweight, he has won eight out of his last 12 fights and is close to entering the rankings for the first time. Known as the Celtic Kid, Matthews has victories over notable fighters such as Li Jingliang and the original Ultimate Fighter Diego Sanchez. Overall, he has a record of 19-7 with 6 knockouts and 7 submission wins.
Jamie Mullarkey
Jamie Mullarkey grew up in the Central Coast area of New South Wales and was a decorated fighter in Australia’s regional MMA scene. He was a former BRACE featherweight champion, Super Fight MMA lightweight champion, and Urban Fight Night champion.
Mullarkey made his UFC debut against New Zealand’s Brad Riddell at UFC 243 and the pair engaged in a crazy fight. Although Riddell won, the bout earned Fight of the Night honours. Mullarkey is just 5-5 in the UFC but he owns big wins over Khama Worthy and Michael Johnson. He has a professional MMA record of 17-7 with 9 knockouts and 3 submission victories.
Jamie Mullarkey’s Next Fight
Lightweight Jami Mullarkey lost his last match against Nasrat Haqparast by knockout in the first round at UFC Fight Night on December 10, 2023. He is bound to return to action soon, but there is no news yet on his next fight.
Jamie Mullarkey John Makdessi
The Jamie Mullarkey – John Makdessi showdown is a fight between a young fighter trying to climb the ranks and a veteran opponent who is trying to extend his career. In this matchup, Makdessi is nine years older than Mullarkey but has half fewer fights than his younger opponent since 2021.
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Makdessi has been fighting in the UFC since 2010 when he made his debut at UFC 124. Like Mullarkey, he has won four out of his last six UFC assignments. However, Madkessi has fought just once a year since 2017 and only twice since the Pandemic halted the UFC’s operations in March 2020.
On the other hand, Mullarkey has been a workhorse during that span as he’s fought seven times since action resumed after the pandemic shutdown. Both fighters were looking to return to winning tracks. Before that match, they had a combined 19 knockouts and 34 wins. However, Mullarkey fortunately prevailed with a unanimous decision win over Makdessi.
Joshua Culibao
Joshua Culibao is one of the newest Australians in the UFC. This 29-year-old from Sydney entered the UFC in 2020 as an unbeaten 8-0 prospect who won featherweight titles at Hex Fight Series, Diamondback FC, and Super Fight MMA in Australia.
Known as “Kuya” ( a Filipino term for elder brother ), this Fil-Aussie fighter has won three of his six UFC assignments. The three consecutive wins came after getting knocked out by Jalin Turner and figuring in a draw with Charles Jourdain in his first two UFC bouts. His second loss came from his most recent appearance against Lerone Murphy at UFC Fight Night on July 22, 2023, through a unanimous decision. Culibao is 11-2 with five knockouts and one submission win.
He’s up against an American, Danny Silva next. He has spoken about how much he learned from the Murphy fight, his desire to win this, and his passion for the sport, and we hope he can get back on the winning track with this match.
Tyson Pedro
Tyson Pedro is the son of John Pedro who owned the King of the Cage promotion in Australia. The 31-year-old from Penrith only had a four-bout professional MMA experience when he personally called UFC President Dana White to put him on the UFC Fight Night 101 fight card which was held in Melbourne should any fighter get hurt. His gamble paid off when Luke Rockhold got hurt and he got his UFC ticket.
Pedro has a modest 6-5 record under the UFC but he owns stoppage wins over Khalil Rountree and Paul Craig. Also, three of his UFC losses have come against battle-tested veterans in Ilir Latifi, Ovince Saint Preux, and the legendary Shogun Rua.
Tyson Pedro’s Next Fight
Tyson Pedro just squared up against Vitor Petrino on March 2, 2023, and lost as a result of a unanimous decision that went against him at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.
Coming off that loss, we expect to get more information on his next fight in the coming months.
Tyson Pedro Anton Turkalj
Tyson Pedro has struggled inside the Octagon as of late. He has lost three out of his last five bouts, with two of those losses coming by stoppage. However, the UFC has given him a good opportunity to get back on track as he faces an opponent who is new to the promotion.
While Pedro has 14 UFC bouts under his belt, Anton Turkalj has fought just thrice inside the UFC Octagon. The 27-year-old from Gothenburg, Sweden was a perfect 7-0 with seven stoppages when he travelled to the United States to try his luck in the UFC.
In Week 1 of the Contender Series 2022 edition, Turkalj picked up a unanimous decision win over Acacio dos Santos that earned him a UFC contract. In his UFC debut, Turkalj was submitted by Jailton Almeida at UFC 279. The Swedish fighter then dropped his second UFC assignment to Vitor Petrino via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 221.