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This weekend sees Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker go head-to-head at UFC 271 in a battle for the middleweight title. It is probably the biggest ever clash between two fighters based Down Under.
It’s hard to believe it, but just over a decade ago, the only famous UFC star from Oceania was Elvis Sinosic. Now, numerous excellent fighters, including champions, have emerged from Down Under.
Australia and New Zealand in particular now regularly produce high-level contenders in the octagon, from thrilling strikers to genuinely dangerous grapplers.
With that in mind, here are the five best UFC fighters to hail from Down Under.
#5. Mark Hunt – former UFC heavyweight
Mark Hunt might be persona non grata with Dana White and company right now thanks to the way he left the promotion and then tried to sue them in court in 2018. However, in his prime, ‘The Super Samoan’ was a genuine contender for the heavyweight title.
Interestingly, when he first joined the promotion in 2010, it certainly didn’t look like he’d develop into a contender of any kind.
A former K-1 champion who’d fought and beaten some greats in PRIDE, including the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop, Hunt had fallen on hard times and was in the midst of a five-fight losing streak when the UFC offered to buy out his old PRIDE deal.
Surprisingly, Hunt instead decided he wanted to fight in the octagon and subsequently joined the promotion. He lost his debut in a terrible effort to the unheralded Sean McCorkle.
However, rather than simply wash out of the promotion, Hunt joined American Top Team and ended up going on arguably the best run of his MMA career.
Over the eight years that followed, he defeated the likes of Frank Mir, Antonio Silva, Roy Nelson and Derrick Lewis in the octagon. He also popularized the “walk-off” knockout, essentially calling his fights off before the referee had stepped in.
While ‘The Super Samoan’ failed in his quest to claim gold in the octagon, falling to Fabricio Werdum in an interim heavyweight title bout in 2014, he featured as a headline act for the majority of his tenure with the promotion and was always popular with the fans.
This success, along with his laundry list of knockouts, makes him easily one of the best fighters from Down Under to head into the octagon.
#4. George Sotiropoulos – former UFC lightweight
George Sotiropoulos might be long forgotten by UFC fans these days, as he last fought in the promotion in late 2013. However, at his best, he was genuinely one of the best 155lbers on the planet. As a true pioneer, he should be recognized as one of the best fighters to come from Down Under.
After putting together a record of 7-2 on the regional circuit, Sotiropoulos gained his invite to the big show via the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter. While he fell in the semi-finals of that series, he impressed enough to be handed a contract afterwards.
Sotiropoulos’ first four wins in the octagon were hardly earth-shattering, although he did impress by finishing all of his opponents. The eyes of the fans were really opened, though, when the promotion headed to Australia for the first time in February 2010.
‘Greek George’ was positioned as the biggest native star to be competing on that card. He lived up to the expectations of the fans by dominating former lightweight title challenger Joe Stevenson en route to a decision win.
Impressive victories over Kurt Pellegrino and Joe Lauzon followed, putting Sotiropoulos on the verge of a title shot heading into 2011.
However, the logjam at the top of the division, as well as the injection of new talent from the WEC, prevented that from happening. When Sotiropoulos fell to Dennis Siver in a disappointing showing, he quickly tumbled from contention.
A year on the shelf due to injuries followed. When the Australian returned, only to suffer a KO at the hands of Rafael dos Anjos, his time at the top appeared to be over.
However, Sotiropoulos was still able to make another kind of impact on Australian MMA, coaching a team that included a certain Robert Whittaker on TUF: The Smashes in late 2012.
Although he lost his final two UFC bouts, he should still be recognized for his achievements as the first fighter from Down Under to really enter title contention in the octagon.
#3. Robert Whittaker – former UFC middleweight champion
As the first fighter from Down Under to claim gold in the octagon, it’s safe to say that Robert Whittaker has made a huge impact in the UFC since arriving there in 2012.
Fans who watched ‘The Reaper’ perform on TUF: The Smashes should’ve been able to recognize the massive talent that the then-21-year old possessed.
On a season full of friendly banter, Whittaker was the outlier. He remained hugely intense throughout the process and destroyed everyone he faced, including Australian teammate Xavier Lucas.
After winning the reality show, Whittaker quickly made his mark in the UFC proper by knocking out TUF 16 champion Colton Smith. However, two back-to-back losses made him question his future as a welterweight.
2014 saw ‘The Reaper’ move to 185 pounds. The results were remarkable. Whittaker had lost none of his knockout power, but now held a speed advantage over the majority of his opponents and he quickly reeled off six straight wins in his new division, setting him up for a title shot in mid-2017.
That title shot came against the monstrous Yoel Romero. In an incredible fight, Whittaker was able to outpoint the Cuban to become the interim UFC middleweight champion. 2018 then saw him crowned undisputed champion and he defended his title in another war with Romero.
‘The Reaper’ lost his title to Israel Adesanya in late 2019, but since then, he’s recovered with three straight wins and now has the chance to regain his crown this weekend. There’s no doubt that he belongs near the top of any list of top fighters to emerge from Down Under.
#2. Alexander Volkanovski – UFC featherweight champion
As the reigning UFC featherweight champion, there might even be an argument to suggest that Alexander Volkanovski is the greatest fighter to ever emerge from Down Under, period.
After all, ‘The Great’ is still undefeated in the octagon with a total of 10 victories in total. Perhaps the only criticism that could be aimed at him would be a lack of finishes against top level opposition.
Volkanovski initially debuted in the octagon as a lightweight in 2016, with a knockout victory over Yusuke Kasuya. Despite apparently weighing more than 200 pounds during his career as a rugby player prior to starting MMA, the Aussie then stated his intentions to drop to 145 pounds.
Sure enough, Volkanovski debuted in his new weight class in mid-2017. He then reeled off four straight wins, ending with a victory over perennial contender Darren Elkins.
If that win showed he was for real, then his next, a knockout of former title challenger Chad Mendes, proved that he was ready to make a run at the UFC featherweight title.
2019 saw him realize those dreams, as he outpointed former champion Jose Aldo to claim a shot at the gold. He then managed to edge out champion Max Holloway to become the new kingpin in his own right.
Since then, Volkanovski has defended his title against Holloway in a rematch and against Brian Ortega. He is now set to face Chan Sung Jung in his next defense in April.
If ‘The Great’ can continue to hold onto his title for a longer period, he may well become recognized as the greatest fighter from Down Under in the promotion’s history. For now, he remains behind just one other fighter in that sense.
#1. Israel Adesanya – UFC middleweight champion
While he has yet to surpass the legendary Anderson Silva in terms of becoming the UFC’s greatest-ever middleweight champion, there’s no denying the fact that Israel Adesanya has quickly become the greatest fighter to enter the promotion from Down Under.
It’s rare that a fighter debuts in the octagon and seems destined for greatness instantly, but that’s exactly what ‘The Last Stylebender’ did in his first bout there in 2018.
Already possessing a stellar reputation from his kickboxing career, Adesanya dismantled Rob Wilkinson and then became a firm fan favorite thanks to his charisma and skills on the microphone.
From there, he shot up the rankings like few others before him had done, reeling off three further wins that year, including a knockout of perennial contender Derek Brunson. That victory moved him into title contention and with champ Robert Whittaker out injured, a win over his idol, former champion Silva, in early 2019 put him in line for a shot at the interim title.
‘The Last Stylebender’ defeated Kelvin Gastelum in a war to claim the title and then quickly knocked out Whittaker to unify the titles just six months later, meaning that he’d gone from debutant to UFC champion in just 20 months.
In the two years that have followed, Adesanya has been able to defend his title on three occasions. While he failed in his quest to become a double champion in 2021, if he manages to defeat Whittaker in their rematch this weekend, he’ll be firmly considered the best 185lber on the planet.
If he can continue on his current trajectory, he will undoubtedly end up surpassing Silva’s legacy. For now, he stands as the best fighter from Down Under in UFC history.
