5 best fighters from Down Under in UFC history

#2. Alexander Volkanovski – UFC featherweight champion

Reigning featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski is still unbeaten in the octagon

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.

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#1. Israel Adesanya – UFC middleweight champion

Israel Adesanya is the greatest UFC fighter to hail from Down Under

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.