Mixed martial arts (MMA) has a relatively short history in Sydney, Australia. The first MMA event in Sydney was held in 2002, and it was not until the mid-2000s that MMA began to gain popularity in the city. The sport has continued to grow in popularity in Sydney and across Australia, with many local promotions and gyms now offering MMA training and competitions.
There are several notable MMA fighters from Sydney, Australia, including:
- Robert Whittaker: He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and has a professional record of 23-5. He was born and raised in Sydney and began his MMA career in local promotions before signing with the UFC.
- Alex Volkanovski: He is a current UFC Featherweight Champion and has a professional record of 22-1. He started his MMA career in Sydney and competed in local promotions before signing with the UFC.
- Mark Hunt: He is a retired professional MMA fighter and kickboxer, who has a professional record of 13-13-1 (1 NC). He was born in South Auckland, New Zealand but he had lived in Sydney for many years, Hunt is considered one of the most iconic fighters in the history of MMA and K-1.
- Kyle Noke: He is a retired professional MMA fighter and has a professional record of 22-10-1. He was born in Dubbo, Australia, but he had lived in Sydney for many years. He competed in the UFC and other promotions throughout his career.
- George Sotiropoulos: He is a retired professional MMA fighter and has a professional record of 14-5. He was born in Melbourne, Australia but he had lived in Sydney for many years. He competed in the UFC and other promotions throughout his career.
- Jake Matthews: He is a professional MMA fighter and has a professional record of 17-4. He was born and raised in Sydney and began his MMA career in local promotions before signing with the UFC.
Some notable MMA events that have taken place in Sydney include:
- UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez in 2010, which was the first UFC event held in Sydney.
- UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch in 2011, which was held at the Acer Arena and featured a main event between BJ Penn and Jon Fitch.
- UFC Fight Night 55: Rockhold vs. Bisping in 2014, which was held at the Allphones Arena and featured a main event between Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping.
- UFC Fight Night 142: Dos Santos vs. Tuivasa in 2018, which was held at the Qudos Bank Arena and featured a main event between Junior dos Santos and Tai Tuivasa.
- UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya in 2019, which was held at Marvel Stadium and featured a main event between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya.
Besides UFC events, there are also other MMA promotions such as Brace, XFC, Eternal MMA, Hex Fight Series, and others that held events in Sydney.