Who will become Australia’s next UFC world champion?
Australian MMA is on the verge of a changing of the guard, so we’ve highlighted the rising stars who could become this country’s next UFC world champion.
Alex Volkanovski still hopes to fight for the featherweight title next year, but Robert Whittaker’s path back to another crack at the middleweight belt is less clear.
Meanwhile, a host of other Aussie title hopefuls have either had their day, or are preparing to make a run at UFC gold.
But, which fighter shapes as Australia’s next legitimate chance at becoming a UFC champion?
One name stands above the rest, with a few promising faces another year or two behind.
Read on for our breakdown of who will become Australia’s next UFC champion
Jack Della Maddalena
The Perth welterweight is by far Australia’s next best chance of claiming UFC gold.
Della most recently scored the biggest win of his career over Gilbert Burns in March. But the stunning third round knockout win was soured after the 28-year-old suffered a broken arm which required surgery.
His comeback was further delayed by a post-surgery infection.
Ranked fourth in the division, Della Maddalena likely needs one more good win to propel himself into title contention.
There were hopes Della Maddalena could fight former long-time welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 312 in Sydney in February, although it’s understood those talks have stalled.
Colby Covington would be the perfect opponent, while Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov could also be in the conversation.
Jack Jenkins
This one’s a big call, but Jack Jenkins is a star in the making.
A Sydney Swans diehard, Jenkins is a punting, horse-loving former bar tender from Bacchus Marsh and has the style, charisma and talent to make it to the very top of the featherweight division.
Nicknamed ‘Pharjack’ as a nod to Phar Lap, Jenkins stopped Herbert Burns in the third round at UFC 305 in Perth in August.
The win marked an impressive comeback after he suffered a sickening dislocated elbow in his only UFC defeat in Sydney a year earlier.
Look for Jenkins to nab a spot on the UFC 312 card in February and work his way into the rankings next year.
Featherweight is a division in transition too. Older heads like Max Holloway, Brian Ortega and Josh Emmett are set to move on, with a new generation – headed by champion Ilia Topuria, and rising star Diego Lopes – set to take over.
Jenkins can be right there with them.
Steve Erceg
‘Astroboy’ came within an ill-advised takedown of becoming the flyweight world champion against Alexandre Pantoja in May.
The Perth fighter fell on the wrong side of a heart-breaking five-round decision defeat in Rio de Janeiro, when he was taken down and lost the last round.
A TKO defeat to Kai Kara-France was another setback, but Erceg can still find himself back in the mix at flyweight with a couple of comeback wins.
Tom Nolan
The Big Train is coming!
The Toowoomba fighter had a rough start to his UFC career, but bounced back in a big way with back-to-back wins.
That included a first round KO of Victor Martinez, and a UD victory in Perth over Alex Reyes.
Lightweight is arguably the most stacked division in the UFC at the moment, but the Team Compton fighter can make serious inroads in 2025.
Casey O’Neill
‘King’ Casey had a rough 2023 with back-to-back defeats and an ACL injury, but 2024 has seen a return to form with a win over Luana Santos at UFC 305.
She had the best viral celebration of the day too when she pulled out some Ray Gun breakdancing moves in the cage.
Ranked 15th in a flyweight division that isn’t exactly flush with obvious title contenders, O’Neill could be knocking on the door of a title shot within 18 months.
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