Top 5 UFC fighters from Australia & New Zealand in 2022

---

#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.

---

#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.