The UFC’s next trip to Australia is quickly getting booked up.
Middleweights Brad Tavares and Robert Whittaker will meet in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Miocic on May 10 in Adelaide, Australia, the UFC announced Tuesday.
Also announced by the UFC are fights between Australian veteran Anthony Perosh and Sean O’Connell, top Aussie prospect Jake Matthews and James Vick, Aussie women’s star Bec Rawlings and Seo Hee Ham, Ultimate Fighter alum Dylan Andrews and Bradley Scott, Kailin Curran and Alex Chambers and Brendan O’Reilly and Vik Grujic.
Tavares (13-3) rebounded from two straight losses to beat Nate Marquardt by unanuimous decision at UFC 182 on Jan. 3 in Las Vegas. The Ultimate Fighter alum is still just 27 years old and only has three losses on his resume. He’s one of the most consistent middleweights in the UFC.
Whittaker (13-4), an exciting up-and-coming striker, has won two in a row, including a TKO of Clint Hester in Australia back in November. That was Whittaker’s 185-pound debut. Before, he competed in the UFC at welterweight. Whittaker, 24, is a native of New Zealand who currently trains out of New South Wales, Australia.
Perosh (15-8), a wily 42-year-old light heavyweight, has won two of his last three, including a dominant first-round submission of Guto Inocente on that Sydney show in November. Matthews (8-0) is a 20-year-old rising star who has finished both his fights in the UFC. Rawlings (5-4) is one of the most well-known names coming off TUF 20 and a popular Australian women’s MMA star despite having lost two straight bouts.
UFC Fight Night 65 will be headlined by a heavyweight fight between Mark Hunt and Stipe Miocic. This will be the UFC’s first event in Australia in 2015, but there will be at least one or two more.