Top five Aussie UFC fighters to watch in 2020
The Australian MMA scene continues to go from strength to strength. From the record-breaking UFC 243 at Marvel Stadium to Alexander Volkanovski’s rise to featherweight world champion, 2019 was indeed a year to remember.
2020 promises to be no different. Here is our pick of five Australian fighters to watch across the first year of the new decade.
Chelsea Hackett
Although it might be a tad premature to expect Chelsea Hackett to break through to the UFC stage in 2020, she is a mixed martial artist to keep an eye on. The Muay Thai fighter is, according to a UFC source, still a “couple of fights away” from a UFC debut, but she is already generating plenty of buzz in the local combat sports scene. The 21-year-old Hackett has had three MMA fights (two wins and one draw) through the Eternal MMA promotion to date and has set her sights on a UFC debut by age 22. Her most recent fight was streamed on UFC Fight Pass, which suggests that she is on track to achieve her UFC goal.
Jimmy Crute
Having graduated from Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, Jimmy Crute consolidated his UFC status with wins over Paul Craig and Sam Alvey in the space of three months. Then the Victorian ran into Latvian-turned-Canadian Misha Cirkunov, a ranked opponent, in Vancouver and was promptly submitted in the first round. Crute came out hard but was forced to tap out as Cirkunov executed a Peruvian Necktie. The Australian has the chance to restart his climb up the light heavyweight rankings against Pol Michal Oleksiejczuk in Auckland, and despite that loss in Vancouver, the 23-year-old Crute was ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s Top 25 Fighters Under 25.
Megan Anderson
A week after its return to Auckland, the UFC heads for Norfolk in the U.S., where Megan Anderson will attempt to put back-to-back wins together in the promotion for the first time. Anderson’s most recent outing was a first-round triumph, by submission, over Frenchwoman Zarah Fairn dos Santos at UFC 243 in Melbourne. Awaiting the Australian featherweight in Virginia is the unbeaten, if green, Norma Dumont Viana, who will be making her UFC debut. Anderson recently spoke on the Ariel Helwani Show about her depression and a suicide attempt at the beginning of the previous decade; she is in a good place now. A win over Dumont Viana would move Anderson a step closer to a dream showdown with UFC great Amanda Nunes.
Robert Whittaker
It was one of the biggest sporting events in Australia in 2019, and Whittaker, unfortunately, found himself on the wrong side of the result. Israel Adesanya weathered Whittaker’s early onslaught and then set about inflicting damage on the Australian midway through Round 1; the Kiwi had to wait until the bell rang for Round 2, but it was a matter of moments before he unloaded and ended Whittaker’s middleweight reign. How will the Australian respond? After some social media back-and-forth with Briton Darren Till, Whittaker finally signed on for a fight with Jared Cannonier to headline UFC 248 on March 7 in Las Vegas. Win that, and he could earn a rematch with Adesanya immediately, or he might be forced to go through Paulo Costa.
Alexander Volkanovski
After he signed off 2019 in the grandest of styles, how could 2020 get any better for the man from Mount Warrigal in the Illawarra? Volkanovski ascended to the featherweight champion of the world with a unanimous decision victory over Max Holloway, having taken down Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes in the span of 12 months. Not bad, eh? But the Australian now wants to establish himself as the clear featherweight GOAT, and that could start with a rematch against Holloway. Away from the Hawaiian, the Korean Zombie has signaled his desire for a showdown with the Australian. Whatever the case, there is genuine momentum for Volkanovski’s first title defence to come on home soil in Sydney, and the interest in it would be on par with interest in the Whittaker-Adesanya battle of 2019.