The UFC’s continued international expansion gathered pace with the recent announcement of a UFC fight Night in Adelaide – the first time the UFC has been into South Australia – headlined by adopted Aussie Mark Hunt.
Here are four reasons to get excited for the first UFC show of 2015 to take place on Australian soil:
Mark Hunt
The man has grown to be wildly popular in this fair country. Blessed with an iron chin, dynamite in his hands and a humble, relaxed attitude, Hunt can sell out an arena with his name alone on the card.
Fresh off a loss to Fabricio Werdum for the Interim Heavyweight Title, Hunt is looking to get back on track with a win over the respectable Stipe Miocic, who himself was KO’d by Junior dos Santos in his last fight. The winner of this match will be firmly entrenched with the elite of the heavyweight division.
Mark Hunt fights deliver fireworks!
Jake Matthews
At just 20 years old, Jake ‘The Celtic Kid’ Matthews is arguably the next big thing for the Australian MMA scene. Coming off an impressive submission win over the highly regarded Vagner Rocha, Matthews is looking to step up the ladder in the UFC Lightweight division.
Blessed with sound fundamentals and outstanding physical attributes, Matthews is squaring off against American James Vick in a match which will showcase the next hot prospect in the 155-pound division.
Prelude for Melbourne end of year show
With the change of government and resultant promise to rescind the ban on MMA in Victoria, the UFC promised to deliver a blockbuster card in Melbourne at the end of 2015.
Major stars such as Jon Jones and Ronda Rousy have been mooted as possible headliners in what promises to be the biggest MMA event to hit Australia.
It hardly seems fair to call the Adelaide card a warm up, but compared to what we expect in 10 months, that is exactly what it is.
More Aussie fighters
Rob Wittaker, Anthony Perosh and Bec Rawlings lead Australia’s second wave. The card could be one of the sleeper events of the year if our local fighters perform.
I am looking forward to some serious fistic combat in Adelaide this coming May.
Let’s get ready to rumble! Pick a fighter and place your bets with PlayUp for great odds. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Nikita Tszyu defended his Australian super welterweight crown. But a fightback from opponent Danilo Creati threatened to spoil everything in the sixth round.
Nikita Tszyu has overcome a nasty mid-fight moment to score a unanimous points win over Danilo Creati and retain his Australian super welterweight title…
A bloodied Tim Tszyu has been cruelly denied in his quest to emulate his legendary father Kostya and become a unified world boxing champion…
Liam Wilson has suffered further heartbreak in Arizona, the Australian boxer losing his super-featherweight world-title fight against Mexican Oscar Valdez. In front of a…
Tim Tszyu has the chance to emulate his legendary father as a unified world boxing champion after the stakes were dramatically raised for his…
Australia's Alexander Volkanovski has lost his UFC featherweight title to Ilia Topuria, with the Spaniard scoring a stunning second round knockout in the main…
