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Australia has become a premier destination for hosting some of the most electrifying combat sports events in recent years. The Land Down Under has become a staple on the UFC’s yearly calendar and the Octagon returned in February as Sean Strickland attempted to dethrone Dricus Du Plessis as Middleweight Champion in Sydney. Elsewhere, boxing has headed to the country a whole host of times in recent years, while WWE even put on a Premium Live Event there for the first time ever in February last year.
So, with more and more huge bouts heading down under in recent years, which fighters are the planet’s biggest names aiming to walk in the footsteps of? Here are the biggest clashes ever to be hosted in Australia.
Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn
In July 2017 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, the boxing world watched with bated breath as Jeff Horn – a relatively unknown local fighter – took on global icon Manny Pacquiao. For the hometown hero, it was a massive opportunity to spring one of the biggest shocks of all time and gatecrash the elite. For the Pac-Man, he had everything to lose and very little to gain, but he still headed to Queensland as a champion willing to fight all comers.
Ultimately though, that was a decision he would live to regret. Horn used his size, aggression, and relentless pressure to take Pacquiao out of his rhythm. He succeeded in turning the contest into a dogfight, and he would reap the rewards. The former school teacher managed to claim a highly contentious unanimous decision victory, ripping the WBO championship from Pacquaio against all odds.
The bout was such a huge success that it prompted alternative media sources, such as online casinos, to look to capitalize on the surge in popularity. If you visited a top casino online in Australia, namely Ignition, at this time, you’d see the WBC Ring of Riches slot game on offer to their legion of players – and it became a massive hit, prompting more and more people to visit the casino online. The game brought fans closer to the squared circle than ever before with unprecedented accessibility allowing them to play the game around the clock and from any device with an internet connection.
Ronda Rousey vs Holly Holm
What prompted Pacquaio’s promoters Top Rank to take the bout against Horn to the Land Down Under rather than the US was a marquee meeting between Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm in the UFC two years prior. The iconic Marvel Stadium in Melbourne played host to an event that was groundbreaking for several reasons.
Firstly, it marked the first time a UFC event was headlined by two women’s title fights, with Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs Valérie Létourneau also on the card. But primarily it marked Rousey’s first-ever fight on foreign soil. The Rowdy One was without question the biggest star on the planet at the time, winning her last four title bouts in seconds and securing a whole host of movie roles such as in the lucrative Fast & Furious franchise in the process.
But taking her eyes off of the fight game would be a mistake that the California native would ultimately make. Rousey was brutally knocked out in the second round by The Preacher’s Daughter in perhaps the biggest combat sports upset since Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson in Tokyo a quarter of a century prior.
Robert Whittaker vs Israel Adesanya
Fast forward to October 2019 and Marvel Stadium once again played host to a massive MMA spectacle—UFC 243. This card was headlined by a monumental middleweight title unification bout between Australia’s own Robert Whittaker and New Zealand’s interim champ Israel Adesanya. Despite only being the interim champion, the Kiwi Last Style Bender had become a megastar, and many saw him as the favorite heading into the contest.
Those predictions would end up being accurate and Izzy stole the show. After a competitive first round, Adesanya landed a sensational combination in the second round, knocking The Reaper out cold to claim the undisputed middleweight strap in front of 0 over 57,000. He would go on to become the second-longest-reigning champion in history, successfully defending the gold five times before dropping the title to long-time rival Alex Pereira.
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski
In February 2023, Australian hero Alexander Volkanovski attempted to secure his spot in the history books as a two-weight world champion and the number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter on the planet as he went up in weight to battle the fearsome Islam Makhachev in Perth. Alexander The Great was already the undisputed featherweight champion, defending his title on five occasions following his upset victory against Max Holloway at UFC 145 in December 2019.
But Makhachev represented a different challenge altogether. The terrifying Dagestani was following in the footsteps of teammate and friend Khabib Nurmagomedov by claiming the lightweight championship. He wasted no time in wanting to secure his spot as the pound-for-pound number one and beating Volk in the Land Down Under was the way he went about it.
The fight was a technical and tactical masterpiece, with both athletes displaying world-class skills. Makhachev utilized his grappling prowess while Volkanovski showcased heart, tenacity, and elite striking in front of his hometown crowd. The five-round war ended in a unanimous decision victory for Makhachev, albeit not without controversy, with the Aussie ending the fight on his feet and towering over his much bigger rival.
Despite the victory, Makhachev was not rewarded with pound-for-pound number-one status. That honor instead remained with Volkanovski after his stellar display, despite being a huge underdog. However, when the Russian knocked out the Australian in the first round of their rematch, he was finally sent to the top of the rankings, a position he still holds today.