Top 5 UFC fighters from Australia & New Zealand in 2022

The UFC is the proud owner of one of the most diverse talent pools in sports history. Fighters of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds, cultures, varying fighting styles, and personalities compete under the same banner.

Over the last two years, the world has witnessed a lot of Kiwi and Australian fighters make their mark. A heavyweight contender drinking beer from shoes, a rivalry between the two best middleweights, a featherweight fighter looking to set records -- the athletes from down under are rising up and taking the UFC by storm.

Beyond good vibes and neat accents, these fighters are some of the most skilled in the world right now. It's also worth noting that these areas have had stringent rules and regulations to work around these past few years, which adds to how incredible it is that they've been able to perform as well as they have recently.

As Oceania takes over the UFC and wins fans over, we take note of a handful of athletes that could make the most out of the year. Here are the top 5 fighters from Australia & New Zealand in 2022:

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#5. Kai Kara-France

UFC 269: Kai Kara-France v Cody Garbrandt

Kai Kara-France is one of many fighters who took the initiative to make the flyweight division as exciting as possible. 'Don't Blink' recently handed Askar Askarov his first professional loss and did it with some finesse. The 29-year-old from New Zealand showed his composure in a first round that saw him in some very hot water.

However, his striking prowess and grappling defense fetched him not just a victory but a potential title shot. The road to Askarov wasn't easy, as he was fed the heavy-handed former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt in late 2021. Already doing the best he can to make 2022 his breakout year, the looming championship gold is within grasp later in the year.

Although the flyweight division is experiencing a bit of turbulence with a potential tetralogy between the incumbent champion and number one contender, Kara-France has done enough to sit out and fight the winner of that bout closer to the end of the year. However, should he choose to stay active, he's only got exciting and winnable fights amongst the top five to look forward to.

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#4. Tai Tuivasa

UFC 271: Adesanya v Whittaker 2

Tai 'Bam Bam' Tuivasa is irrefutably famous as the fighter who drinks beer out of shoes, but he's also the heavyweight that knocked out Derrick Lewis, the fighter winning five in a row via KO/TKO, and the fighter with a 93% knock out rate.

'Bam Bam' suffered his only three losses consecutively and in the UFC, where losses weigh a lot more. Fans love Tuivasa, but he needed some wins to keep his place in the organization, let alone find his path to gold.

This he did, as he began his current win streak by knocking out the 7' tall Stefan Struve and most recently stole the show in Houston by knocking out their hometown fighter and former title challenger, 'The Black Beast'. Tuivasa is one of the few candidates to challenge for a pending interim heavyweight championship.

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#3. Robert Whittaker

UFC 271: Adesanya v Whittaker 2

Robert Whittaker is easy to like and very hard to hate. Not only is he the quintessential "chill dude," he's just about the prototypical athlete. His durability and dangerous striking have made him one of the best middleweight champions in UFC history.

Ten rounds against Yoel Romero, a great head kick, and grappling competency are things that add to the living legend that is 'Bobby Knuckles'. Whittaker lost his middleweight title to the very talented Israel Adesanya. Since that loss, he went on to win three in a row against the division's best.

This streak earned him redemption against 'Stylebender'. While the judges saw it in favor of Adesanya, many believe that 'The Reaper' should've gotten the nod. Regardless, it was a close fight and showed that the UFC's 185lbs bracket consists of the two best fighters at the top and has a considerable gap between them and the rest of the division.

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#2. Alexander Volkanovski - UFC featherweight champion

UFC 266: Volkanovski v Ortega

Well on his way to being considered the best featherweight in UFC history is the current titleholder and Australian native, Alexander Volkanovski. The former rugby player dropped around 70lbs, or 31.75 kilograms, and took the MMA world by storm.

With an astounding 23 wins with only 1 loss, Volkanovski is 10-0 in the UFC and looks to make it 11-0 against Chan Sung Jung. Beating featherweight greats such as Max Holloway, Jose Aldo, and Chad Mendes is already enough to be considered one of the best to do it, but he continues to improve and is only 33-years-old.

The sky's the limit for 'The Great', and if his impetus indicates anything, it's that 2022 will be an excellent year for him. The 145lb weight class has many great athletes waiting to get a crack at Volkanovski, but the belt might be around his waist for a long time.

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#1. Israel Adesanya - UFC middleweight champion

UFC 271: Adesanya v Whittaker 2

Israel Adesanya, the Nigerian fighter who represents City Kickboxing out of Auckland, New Zealand, is the current middleweight champion of the world. With only one blemish on his record from moving up to take on the light heavyweight champion, Adesanya is perfect as a middleweight thus far.

Perhaps the slickest and most analytical fighter in the octagon, 'Stylebender' has shut out contender after contender. Although he can and has made fighting look easy, he's no stranger to digging deep and showing how much heart he's got. A great example of this is the Kelvin Gastelum fight, where he set up the final round of a tied fight by telling himself that he was prepared to die.

'Stylebender' is excellent on the mic and in the cage. He's a great dancer with a captivating personality and is a top-tier athlete who's in touch with his inner nerd. The fighter out of New Zealand can connect with just about anybody that would stumble across MMA. 2022 is looking very promising for the 32-year-old, especially after signing a lucrative new contract.