The Interstate rivalry is set to continue at UFC 312 as Victorians plan to steal the NSW show
It’s the unofficial state v state show in Sydney this weekend as four Victorians promise an NSW takeover at the first Australian UFC card for 2025.
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Officially, it’s Australia against the world at UFC 312 this weekend.
Unofficially though, there’s a Melbourne takeover, with four Victorian fighters planning on stealing the show north of the border.
Meanwhile, Sydney has just one fighter – Colby Thicknesse – on the card.
Victorians Jimmy Crute, Jake Matthews, Jack Jenkins and Jono Micallef, are all in the Harbour City ahead of crucial fights in Sydney in Australia’s first pay per view UFC card of 2025.
And although they feel the love from the New South Wales crowds, there’s always that element of state on state rivalry.
“Sydney’s a bit of a hole, ay,” Jenkins joked, kicking off the interstate banter. “You’ve gotta go out to that stadium, then no one can get back into town.”
In fairness, Jenkins’ last fight in Sydney, at UFC 293 17 months ago, went horribly.
The 31-year-old suffered a dislocated elbow while attempting to defend a throw, and was rushed to hospital in the back of an ambulance while dulling the pain with some powerful painkillers.
He rebounded in August with a dominant win over Herbert Burns in Perth, but still has unfinished business in Sydney.
“I am keen to get back to Sydney though,” he said ahead of his featherweight bout against Brazil’s Gabriel Santos (11-2).
“I want to try and fix a couple of things, maybe be a bit more aggressive this time around.
“If I could’ve rematched Chepe tomorrow, I would’ve and I would start favourite in that fight.
“But you can’t get hung up on it – what’s the point? This is MMA, you win, you lose, you’ve just gotta keep moving forward.”
Fellow Victorian slugger Crute, 28, is coming off his longest break between fights.
In the 19 months since his defeat to Alonzo Menifield in Las Vegas, Crute wondered whether he’d ever fight again, before finding his drive when he discovered his faith in Jesus last year.
With his faith fuelling his resurgence, Crute is ready to make another run at the top of the light heavyweight division.
Crute takes on the 12-1 Rodolfo Bellato, and his home is never far from his mind.
“Melbourne’s slept on in terms of talent,” he told this masthead. “Our government tried to shut us down – we got slammed by what we went through – but there’s a wave coming out of Melbourne now.
“But at the end of the day, it’s always Aussies versus the world. Anzacs versus the world, really.
“That’s the way I look at it. I come to Sydney quite a lot to train, I like driving up here, so it’s nothing new.”
For 20-fight UFC veteran Jake Matthews, this weekend’s welterweight scrap with Francisco Prado is something of a homecoming.
The 30-year-old hasn’t fought in Australia since 2019, but is representing his hometown as well as Australia.
“Aussie fans are great everywhere, but I’m happy for the Melbourne boys,” he said. “I’ve trained with Jack for years, Jono Micallef comes and trains with us sometimes and me and Jimmy are out at the same camp as well.
“It gives it a bit of that team feel. It’s like the good old footy days when you go away with a team, so it’s good to have a bit of that familiarity.
“When we go overseas, it’s just us, you’re on your own going into hostile territory.”
Matthews promises to put on a show when he opens the pay-per-view card at Qudos Bank this Sunday.
“I want to show my full arsenal,” he said. “I can grapple, kick, knee, elbow, I can do judo throws and I can wrestle.
“There’s a lot people haven’t seen, and I want to put that on display, that’s my biggest goal.”
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