It's April 2017 in Kansas City and a 26-year-old Australian is circling the octagonal ring of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC). Robert Whittaker, the housing commission kid from Sydney's west, is facing off in a mixed martial arts (MMA) bout almost no-one expects him to win.
Inside the cage with him in the US midwest is Brazilian Ronaldo Jacare Souza. Jacare - alligator in Portuguese - hasn't lost for nine years and is a huge betting favourite. An eight-time world jiu-jitsu champion, his dominance in the “ground game” of the sport made him the bogey man of the [middleweight] division, Whittaker tells AFR Weekend.
Christopher JoyeColumnistChristopher Joye is a portfolio manager with Coolabah Capital, which invests in securities, including those discussed in his column. Connect with Christopher on Twitter.
