You may have noticed that martial arts in Sydney are taking off; if you want to get involved (either for yourself or a child), you’ll find lots of high-quality classes. But what inspirations do you have? Here are some of the most popular MMA fighters originally from Australia!
Robert Whittaker
Although born in New Zealand, Robert Whittaker lives in Sydney and competes as an Australian in MMA. Since his professional debut in 2009, Whittaker has made a strong impression all over the globe. Originally, he appeared on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes where he was victorious against all other welterweight fighters. Soon enough, he fought at UFC 231 and became the interim middleweight champion. However, Georges St-Pierre vacated his championship and Whittaker became the undisputed champion.
Even in 2021, Whittaker remains at the top of the UFC Middleweight rankings with a record of 23-5. Towards the beginning of 2022, he will face off against Israel Adesanya in one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts for some time.
George Sotiropoulos
Back in 2007, George Sotiropoulos entered the UFC and would go on to impress many experts with seven straight wins. Before Sotiropoulos ended his career with five defeats, he was 14-2 and an inspiration for many Australian talents about to begin their journey.
Although Sotiropoulos had a relatively short career compared to others, he made a huge impact on fans in Australia and all over the globe. Known as a down to earth character, he has many fans and has been labelled as the man who saved the Ultimate Fighter franchise.
Elvis Sinosic
Fortunately for Elvis Sinosic, you don’t have to enjoy success to gain popularity. He may have only fought in the UFC seven times, but in that time, he managed to have a light heavyweight championship fight against Tito Ortiz (which he lost) while also attracting lots of attention from fans. Eventually, he finished his career with a record of 1-7. However, he had already shown millions of Australians what could be achieved with some dedication and hard work.
In 2007, Sinosic fought for the last time and was beaten by Paul Cahoon in London after just 21 seconds.
Alexander Volkanovski
From the early days of Australia’s involvement in the UFC, we return to the modern-day and an Australian fighter that has risen the ranks very quickly. Since joining the organisation, Volkanovski has fought ten times and won every single time. Most recently, he won by unanimous decision against Ortega at UFC 266 (where this match was the headline).
With a career record of 23-1, Volkanovski is the current MMA featherweight champion while also topping the MMA world rankings at this weight. Before the Ortega fight, Volkanovski took on Max Holloway, currently second in the rankings, twice and won both times (once by unanimous decision and once by split decision). Therefore, he has shown his ability to not only be the best but also beat the best.
Tai Tuivasa
Finally, how can we ignore one of the biggest personalities to ever enter the MMA? With the nickname ‘Bam Bam’, the fighter has a huge following in Australia. As an indigenous Australian, he has 12 victories in his career while only losing three times. Tuivasa’s first fight in the UFC came in 2017 where he defeated Rashad Coulter with a flying knee. He then won two more, then lost three in a row before rediscovering his form with victories over Stefan Struve, Harry Hunsucker, and Greg Hardy.
