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The future of Mixed Martial Arts in Australia is bright

Robert Whittaker returns to the octagon in UFC 225 (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)
Roar Rookie
27th January, 2017
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Mixed martial arts (MMA) is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and although Australia is lagging behind, our foundations are strong.

Australia’s premier MMA promotion in the Hex Fight Series, has elevated the level of competition both in the amateur and professional circuits.

Hex Fight Series 7 acquired over 90,000 viewers (this does not include its Channel 31 viewership tally) via a Facebook live stream of the event. While the Path to Hex is the exclusive amateur MMA promotion in Victoria which is sanctioned by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation of Australia (IMMAFA).

The fights at HEX Fight Series 7 on December 2nd, certainly lived up to the hype and showcased Australia’s young talents.

Rising MMA star Aidan Aguilera was extremely impressive; constantly switching from southpaw to orthodox – setting up a clean yet powerful left high kick upon Raphael Scott.

Kitt Campbell’s strong ground and pound overwhelmed Kael Coster, displaying composure and intelligent striking well beyond his age of 22.

Despite their talents and obvious potential, Aguilera and Campbell are only a taste of what Australian MMA fighters are capable of.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has already signed the explosive 23-year-old Sydney-based heavyweight Tai Tuivasa, also one of Mark Hunt’s training partners.

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And who’d forget Tyson Pedro’s impressive submission victory at Melbourne’s UFC Fight Night event over Khalil Rountree? Pedro has a great future in the sport of MMA ahead of him.

Trent James, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Hex Fight Series, is confident about the direction the promotion is heading in.

Though the media coverage of MMA in Australia needs to expand, the pioneers in Submission Radio rank as one of the best media outlets in the world pertaining to MMA.

Hosted by the dynamic duo consisting of Denis Shkuratov and Kacper Rosolowski, Submission Radio has over 50,000 YouTube subscribers and features on podcast platforms such as iTunes and Stitcher.

They have interviewed a range of high calibre fighters such as Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Nate Diaz (to name a few).

Similar to Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour show, both Rosolowski and Shkuratov have the ability to interview a range of fighters, from a myriad of weight classes – all condensed into one show.

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Rosolowski and Shkuratov proudly represent Australian MMA media by frequenting large-scale UFC productions overseas. The success and development of Submission Radio is such, that several media outlets, including Fox Sports, have covered Submission Radio.

Submission Radio’s first introduction to an overseas UFC event was the chaotic UFC 200. Jon Jones was removed from the card days before the event due to a failed drug test.

The foundations are in place. It is about building upon what works – for more young MMA media personalities and fighters to realise the vast potential MMA offers in Australia.

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