Ever since Elvis Sinosic became the first Australian to fight in the UFC, there have been many fighters from the Land Down Under who have competed inside the Octagon.
The number of Aussies in the UFC continues to grow and right now, there are more than enough of them in the promotion’s current roster to create a Top 10 list.
In this story…
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the Top 10 Australian fighters in the UFC in 2023.
1. Alexander Volkanovski
On top of the list is the current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Born in Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, Alexander the Great is also the UFC’s No. 2 ranked pound-for-pound fighter, behind only the GOAT Jon Jone on the list.
The 34-year-old opened his UFC career with 12 consecutive victories. At UFC 245, Volk dethroned Max Holloway to win the UFC’s 145-pound division. He has since successfully defended the title four times, including two against Holloway. Volkanovski also owns notable UFC wins over Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, and The Korean Zombie. He is 25-2 with 12 knockouts and 3 submission wins.
2. Robert Whittaker
If this list was written before Volk won the featherweight title, Robert Whittaker would have been on top of this rankings. The Reaper was the first Australian to win a UFC belt when he defeated Yoel Romero at UFC 217 to become the middleweight champion.
The Auckland-born Australian from Sydney won 9 consecutive bouts from June 2014 to June 2018. Bobby Knuckles is 4-2 since then with his two losses coming at the hands of current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya who dethroned him at UFC 243. Aside from Romero, Whittaker has a resume that includes the likes of Jacare Souza, Uriah Hall, Derek Brunson, Darren Till, Jared Canonier, Kelvin Gastelum, and Marvin Vettori as victims. Whittaker is 24-6 with 9 KO wins and 5 victories by way of submission.
3. Tai Tuivasa
Although Tai Tuivasa has been knocked out in back-to-back fights, the 30-year-old Sydney native is still the No. 6 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. Tuivasa played professional rugby for the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League for two years before transitioning to MMA in 2012.
Born to a Wiradjuri mother and Samoan father, this Sydney native opened his UFC career with a modest 3-3 mark. He then won five consecutive bouts, all via knockout, and took home three Performance of the Night bonuses during that span. Overall Tuivasa has an impressive record with 14 wins and only five losses. All but one of his wins were by knockout. At UFC 271, Tuivasa scored his biggest win inside the Octagon when he knocked out Derrick Lewis inside two rounds.
4. Jack Della Maddalena
Jack Della Maddalena is a former Eternal Welterweight champion with four successful title defenses to his credit. The 26-year-old from Perth is the No. 14 ranked fighter in the UFC’s welterweight division. He was a product of the UFC’s Contender Series 39 where he Ange Loosa to earn a UFC contract.
Della Maddalena is the hottest Aussie prospect right now. He is 4-0 with four first-round stoppage wins inside the Octagon. His last three wins have earned him a Performance of the Night bonus and he has not lost since dropping his first two professional bouts at the Eternal MMA promotion. Overall, He owns a record of 14-2 with 11 knockouts and 2 submission wins.
5. Casey O’Neill
The first and only woman on our list is the UFC’s No. 12 ranked female flyweight -Casey O’Neill. The 25-year-old was born in Irvine, Scotland but grew up in Gold Coast, Australia. O’Neill is a former Eternal MMA women’s lightweight champion with one successful title defense.
She opened her UFC career with impressive wins over Shana Dobson, Laura Procopio, Antonina Shevchenko, and Roxanne Modafferi. However, O’Neill lost via unanimous decision to Jennifer Maia in her most recent appearance at UFC 286 last Mach 18th, her first career loss. O’Neill is 9-1 with 3 knockouts and 2 submission victories.
6. Jimmy Crute
Jimmy Crute began his pro-MMA career at Australia’s Hex Fighting Series where he was the light heavyweight champion. After going 7-0 in that promotion, he got an invitation to fight at the Dana White Contender Series 14 show where he knocked out Chis Birchler to earn a UFC contract.
Born in Singleton, New South Wales, “The Brute” made his presence felt early when he opened his UFC career with three wins in his first four Octagon assignments. That included back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses for submitting Michal Oleksiejczyk and knocking out Modestas Bukauskas. Crute then suffered consecutive first-round KO losses to former title challenger Anthony Smith and current UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill. Crute is 12-3 with 5 knockouts and 4 submission wins.
7. Jake Matthews
Jake Matthews opened his pro-MMA career in Australia, where he amassed a 7-0 record. That caught the UFC’s eye as the promotion cast him as one of the fighters in The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs Australia in 2013. Although he was ousted during his first bout in the tournament, the 28-year-old from Melbourne got the call from the UFC in 2014.
Matthews had mixed results early in his UFC tenure but since moving up to welterweight, he has won seven out of his last 10 fights and is close to entering the rankings for the first time. Known as the Celtic Kid, Matthews has victories over notable fighters such as Li Jingliang and the original Ultimate Fighter Diego Sanchez. Overall, he has a record of 18-6 with 5 knockouts and 7 submission wins.
8. Jamie Mullarkey
Jamie Mullarkey grew up in the Central Coast area of New South Wales and was a decorated fighter in Australia’s regional MMA scene. He was a former BRACE featherweight champion, Super Fight MMA lightweight champion, and Urban Fight Night champion.
Mullarkey made his UFC debut against New Zealand’s Brad Riddell at UFC 243 and the pair engaged in a crazy fight. Although Riddell won, the bout earned Fight of the Night honors. Mullarkey is just 4-4 in the UFC but he owns big wins over Khama Worthy and Michael Johnson. He has a professional MMA record of 16-6 with 10 knockouts and 3 submission victories.
9. Joshua Culibao
Joshua Culibao is one of the newest Australians in the UFC. This 29-year-old from Sydney entered the UFC in 2020 as an unbeaten 8-0 prospect who won featherweight titles at Hex Fight Series, Diamondback FC, and Super Fight MMA in Australia.
Known as “Kuya” ( a Filipino term for elder brother ), this Fil-Aussie fighter has won his last three UFC assignments after getting knocked out by Jalin Turner and figuring in a draw with Charles Jourdain in his first two UFC bouts. Culibao is 11-1 with five knockouts and one submission win.
10. Tyson Pedro
Tyson Pedro is the son of John Pedro who owned the King of the Cage promotion in Australia. The 31-year-old from Penrith only had a four-bout professional MMA experience when he personally called UFC President Dana White to put him on the UFC Fight Night 101 fight card which was held in Melbourne should any fighter get hurt. His gamble paid off when Luke Rockhold got hurt and he got his UFC ticket.
Pedro has a modest 5-4 record under the UFC but he owns stoppage wins over Khalil Rountree and Paul Craig. Also, three of his UFC losses have come against battle-tested veterans in Ilir Latifi, Ovince Saint Preux, and the legendary Shogun Rua.
