Earlier this year I rather boldly declared we wouldn’t see an Australian UFC champion for at least another generation.
No one hopes I’m wrong more than me.
However, if we have learnt anything from The Smashes series of the Ultimate Fighter, which climaxes in Brisbane this weekend, it is that there are some Aussies out there who just might have the potential to climb the lofty heights of the UFC.
Unfortunately though, there is no way our Aussie charges will be able to progress onwards and upwards if they continue to train in and fight out of Australia.
Take our representative in the final, welterweight Robert Whittaker.
The Menai local has shown throughout the show he has a ton of potential. On his way to the final he knocked out the UK’s Xavier Williams and Luke Newman and he has finished all his nine professional victories before the show.
He clearly is a diamond in the rough and at only 21 (22 in a few weeks), he has the time on his side to develop his talent, acquire new skills, build his endurance, even lose a fight or two and come back stronger and wiser than before.
In spite of his obvious talent though, no one in Australia has the ability to polish him up to the point where he could face off against the top of the UFC’s welterweight division.
In America, however, Whittaker could join a plethora of great teams and sit under the mentoring wing of some of the division’s top fighters: Carlos Condit at Jackon’s in Albuquerque, Jon Fitch at American Kickboxing Academy or even Georges St-Pierre at Trystar Gym in Montreal to name but a few.
The Smashes has been a great opportunity for guys like Whittaker to show off their talent, has given them a potential shortcut into the UFC and also provided them with a pre-made fan-base.
They now have the opportunity to launch themselves to the top of the UFC like fellow TUF alumni Rashard Evans, Forrest Griffin, Nate Diaz and plenty others have before.
However, the next step for the Aussies is an even more difficult one than surviving TUF; they must pack their bags and leave behind everything that is familiar.
It is a move that could break some of them, as they find their feet overseas, but if one of them wants to be a champion enough, it is the move they simply must make.
It would be great if Australia could develop a truly world class MMA gym. Teams in the UK and Brazil have shown it can be done outside of North America.
However, as it currently stands, the first Australian to hold UFC gold will sadly be an ex-pat.
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