UFC London: Aussie Josh Culibao eyeing up slice of UFC history
Sydneysider Josh Culibao has already made UFC history for Filipinos but the Sydneysider has bigger dreams yet to be fulfilled.
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Josh Culibao has fought all over the world, from Auckland and Perth, to Abu Dhabi, Las Vegas and – as of this weekend – London, but there’s one place he’s still determined to tick off his bucket list: The Philippines.
The Sydneysider is the “only full-blooded Filipino in the UFC” and is desperate to be able to headline a card in his family’s country.
The UFC has made regular trips to Singapore, Japan and China, but has only ever staged one fight card in the Philippines, back in 2015.
“We’ve got a few fighters coming out of the Philippines, but not many in the UFC,” ‘Kuya’ says. “If I can be a headliner there, and draw crowds, that would be amazing. It would be unreal.
“That’s definitely up there (on the bucket list), just to be able to say I bought the UFC to the Filipinos, that would be massive.
“I’d be an icon, the next Manny Pacquiao.”
Before dreams of a first UFC fight in the Philippines though, the rising featherweight star will step into the Octagon this weekend against the 12-0-1 Lerone Murphy in London.
He’s expecting an “all out war” in the sixth different country he’s fought in in his six UFC fights to date.
It will also be the last time he fights before his partner gives birth to the couple’s first child in late August, meaning a re-evaluation of his goals and motivations.
“I wanted to get a fight in before the birth of my child, because who knows when I’ll be back in again,” he said. “It’s one of those things, I can no longer be selfish and just do what I want to do.
“I have another purpose now. I love this sport and have a deep passion for it, but there’s an added purpose and motivation now. It’s no longer just for me, it’s for my family.
“As much as I want to be an amazing fighter, I want to be an amazing dad too. I want to be an even better dad.”
Culibao can lean on one of the very best – in both areas – as he prepares for fighting and fatherhood.
When Covid-19 lockdowns caused havoc to training schedules and fight plans, featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski invited a crew of the best martial artists in the country to Wollongong to help him prepare (for his second bout with Max Holloway).
Volkanovski paid for lodgings for everyone, with Culibao joining the likes of Jamie Mullarkey and Trent Girdham.
It was a smart move from Volkanovski, who beat Holloway for a second time, and proved to Culibao and others that they don’t need to head overseas to get good training and preparation.
“He doesn’t have a mega gym all of these fighters go to, he trains at a small gym in Windang and works hard,” Culibao said. “There’s no secret. He’s just the hardest worker in the room, and it shows.
“Everyone thinks there’s some special technique or that he knows something different, but it’s just him training his ass off and having a deep passion for the sport.
“He’s really showing me that. He can be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and it’s just from a small gym in Windang.
“When someone who’s succeeding asks you to help them out, it’s a big compliment, but then for me, witnessing it firsthand was something special.”
So, when he’s asked whether he’d ever contemplate fighting Volkanovski if his rise up the 145-pound rankings continues, Culibao is adamant that will never happen.
“Maybe if there was a passing of the torch and he moved up in weight or retired, but I don‘t think it is really a possibility,” he said. “We’ll cross that bridge, but I just don’t see myself fighting Volk.
“We speak on a regular basis. He took me in, I stayed at his house and I know his wife and kids. His wife is expecting a baby at the same time my partner is, but as for fighting him, I’m just not too sure.”
Originally published as UFC London: Aussie Josh Culibao eyeing up slice of UFC history
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