Top 5 UFC fighters from Australia & New Zealand in 2022

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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.