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The UFC has blossomed into a mainstream phenomenon over the past decade or so. As such, the popularity of MMA has spread to all corners of the world at a rampant pace. Australia, in particular, has emerged as a hotbed for MMA in recent times.
UFC 243 marked a major milestone for the growth of MMA in Australia. To this day, this historic event holds the record for the highest attendance in the history of the promotion, with 57,127 watching the action live at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
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Robert Whittaker made history back in 2017, becoming the first Australian fighter to win a championship under the promotional banner. Alexander Volkanovski is the latest Aussie to claim UFC gold and 'The Great' is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
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Over the years, we've seen a wave of elite fighters from down under break into the promotion. On that note, here are the five best Australian fighters in the UFC right now.
#5. Jack Della Maddalena
Jack Della Maddalena may not be the most popular fighter on the roster. However, it's only a matter of time before the masses take notice of this talented Australian's skills.
Interestingly, Della Maddalena lost the first two fights of his professional MMA career. Since then, he has put together an incredible 10-fight win streak and is an intriguing prospect in the welterweight division.
He broke onto the scene with a successful outing on Dana White's Contender Series, where he put on a dominant display to earn a UFC contract. In his first fight in the famed octagon, Della Maddalena showed phenomenal boxing to knock out Pete Rodriguez at UFC 270.
His slick striking and rock-solid takedown defense makes him a challenging matchup for anyone he goes up against. The Perth native is 25-years-old and looks set for a bright future in the UFC.
#4. Casey O'Neill
Casey O'Neill is a rising contender in the UFC women's flyweight division. The Australian-born Scottish phenom represents both nations and has a uniquely blended accent as well. More importantly, she is a hearty competitor and could find herself in the upper echelons of the division very soon.
She currently boasts a perfect professional record of 9-0, with three knockouts and two submissions. In her most recent outing, she defeated MMA veteran Roxanne Modafferi via split decision, which saw her claim the No.13 spot in the rankings.
With a few more notable victories, 'King' could potentially take on reigning flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko sooner than we think. Shevchenko has already beaten most of the top contenders in the division and O'Neill poses a unique threat to the champion.
#3. Tai Tuivasa
Almost two years ago, Tai Tuivasa suffered a third consecutive loss in the UFC and his future with the promotion was in question. Oh, how times have changed.
He joined the America-based promotion in 2017 as an undefeated prospect and got off to a scintillating start, going 3-0 in his first three fights. Unfortunately, he then picked up three defeats in succession to Junior dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov and Sergey Spivak. It felt as though the affable Australian had seemingly hit his ceiling.
However, he bounced back with a vengeance in 2020, knocking out Stefan Struve to return to winning ways. He went on to pick up KO/TKO victories over Harry Hunsucker, Greg Hardy, Augusto Sakai and Derrick Lewis to break into the top five of the UFC heavyweight division.
The win over Lewis, in particular, showed that Tuivasa is a real contender in the heavyweight division. Still just 29, 'Bam Bam' could be contesting for world titles if he continues to improve.
#2. Robert Whittaker
While his championship reign may have been shorter than he would've liked, Robert Whittaker is still one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Injuries and other medical issues have hampered Whittaker's career in recent times, but he looks to be back to his best self.
After losing his middleweight title to Israel Adesanya in devastating fashion back in 2019, Whittaker has seemingly come into his own. He secured three consecutive victories over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum to put himself back in title contention. In his recent rematch with Adesanya, 'The Reaper' performed admirably, despite coming out on the losing end of a razor-thin judges' decision.
The Adesanya-Whittaker rivalry proves one thing – they are the two best middleweights in the world. The Australasian duo are head and shoulders above the other contenders at 185 pounds. Considering both fighters' age, a trilogy bout is likely down the line.
Still just 31, Whittaker has more than enough time to reclaim UFC gold. Outside of Adesanya, 'The Reaper' is a nightmare stylistic matchup for anyone he goes up against. He has excellent striking, is extremely durable and, fight IQ-wise, he's among the most intelligent fighters in the world. He is slated to take on fellow former title challenger Marvin Vettori in his next bout.
#1. Alexander Volkanovski – UFC featherweight champion
Alexander Volkanovski is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya are currently ahead of Volkanovski atop the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings, likely because both champions have successfully defended their titles more times than 'The Great'.
However, Volkanovski has faced relatively tougher competition during his time at featherweight. En route to winning the belt, he beat the likes of Chad Mendes and former champion Jose Aldo. He subsequently beat Max Holloway twice, cementing his place atop the 145-pound division.
Volkanovski's last two bouts, however, have seen him pull ahead of the rest of the division. The five-round demolition of Brian Ortega at UFC 266 and the striking masterclass he delivered against 'The Korean Zombie' at UFC 273 have earned the Australian titleholder a newfound respect from the fans.
He has vowed to reign over the featherweight division for a long time to come. With numerous contenders on the rise, Volkanovski will be looking to claim a few more title defenses and potentially claim the No.1 spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.
