Fighting talk: All you need to know
The wait is almost over.
After months of build-up, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker square off for the undisputed UFC middleweight championship in a trans-Tasman super-fight in Melbourne on Sunday.
He may have been born in New Zealand but Whittaker will have the whole of Australia behind him against Nigerian-born Kiwi Adesanya, who is one win away from completing a phenomenal rise since joining the promotion last year.
The pair are joined on the card by a host of region’s leading mixed martial artists. So here’s everything you need to know about UFC 243.
It’s been billed as the biggest combat sports event in Australasian history – is that really the case?
The stars have aligned perfectly for the UFC as they look to continue to grow the sport in this part of the world. Whittaker (20-4) and Adesanya (17-0) were the first fighters from Australia and New Zealand to win a UFC title and to have both in their prime competing for the top prize in the same division, it doesn’t get better for Australasian fight fans.
The main event alone would have been enough to drive predictions of a UFC record crowd, which currently stands at 56,214, also set at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium when Holly Holm stunned Ronda Rousey in 2015.
There’s also an unprecedented amount of local talent on display for a UFC pay-per-view event, with 10 of the 11 bouts featuring at least one Kiwi or Aussie.
How did Whittaker and Adesanya get to this point?
Whittaker has held the middleweight title since 2017, initially winning the interim belt before being promoted to overall Brunson in the first round last year.
The pair have two of the best stand-up games in the business; Adesanya, who made his name as a world-class kickboxer before switching to MMA, is arguably the most technically proficient striker in the UFC.
‘The Last Stylebender’ holds a four-inch height and six-and-a-half inch reach advantage. And with his vast array of strikes, quickness and deceptive feints, will have the edge on the outside. However, Whittaker, with his unorthodox style, has shown the ability to close the distance and reel off powerful combinations, with a particularly dangerous left hook.
Whittaker was selected to represent Australia in wrestling at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and that may be a route he looks to go down. But Adesanya has continually defied critics of his ground game since joining the UFC – his takedown defence is often under-rated.
They are two evenly matched fighters but perhaps the biggest question surrounding Whittaker is his lack of activity, as he makes his first appearance in 16 months.
Who are the others Kiwis on the card?
Four NZ-based fighters are in action, including three from Auckland gym City Kickboxing – Adesanya, Dan Hooker and Brad Riddell.
Hooker features in the co-main event against sixth-ranked lightweight Al Iaquinta. The American went the distance with undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov last year and victory for Hooker, who is ranked 15th, should elevate him into the upper echelon of the division.
Also at lightweight, Riddell is making his promotional debut against Aussie Jamie Mullarkey, while Hamilton’s Luke Jumeau returns from an 18-month injury layoff against Brazil’s Dhiego Lima.
Heavyweight Justin Tafa, who grew up in West Auckland before moving back across the Tasman, will make his UFC debut against Yorgan De Castro.