Damien “Beatdown” Brown returns to the Australian MMA Podcast and absolutely unloads on the current state of Australian MMA. From Japanese MMA culture and why he believes Western MMA has become disrespectful, to the Luke Dally vs Antonio Caruso fallout, coach involvement in trash talk, UFC Perth reactions, RIZIN, Road to UFC and Beatdown Promotions’ biggest card yet — this episode covers it all.Damien also breaks major Beatdown Promotions announcements including Reece McLaren’s return to Australia, Toby Sang’s title fight, international signings and the insane finish bonus system changing Australian MMA.Watch Beatdown Promotions live July 4 FREE on DAZN.

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro

01:12 Damien Brown joins the show

02:35 Why Damien loves Japanese MMA culture

05:08 Why RIZIN hasn’t signed more Australians

08:10 Thoughts on Luke Dally vs Antonio Caruso

10:42 Damien Brown on coaches getting involved in trash talk

14:20 Why Damien dislikes MMA trash talk culture

17:18 Did Luke Dally take the Caruso fight too early?

21:02 UFC Perth reactions

23:25 Thoughts on Road to UFC and Contender Series

26:05 Beatdown Promotions July 4 card announcements

27:15 Reece McLaren returns to Australia

28:42 Toby Sang title fight revealed

29:35 Beatdown’s finish bonus system explained

30:40 OutroFor more visit: www.australianmma.com.au

Antonio Caruso joins Australian MMA ahead of his return at Eternal MMA 105, where he faces Luke Dally in Perth. Caruso addresses recent callouts, explains his silence on social media, and outlines why he believes he still belongs on the world stage.

The veteran lightweight opens up on his PFL loss, training at Absolute MMA, fighting for his family, and his continued push toward the UFC. He also gives his thoughts on Luke Dally, Australian MMA, and why Friday night is about proving everything inside the cage.

TIMECODES:

00:00 - Intro

00:35 - Antonio Caruso joins the show

01:15 - Why he’s been hard to reach

02:40 - Social media drama and callouts

04:30 - Focus on fighting over talking

06:00 - Return to Australia and Eternal MMA

07:30 - Luke Dally and the amateur comments

09:10 - “Friday night we’ll find out who’s the pussy”

10:40 - Career experience and world stage mindset

12:30 - Fighting for family and motivation

14:00 - PFL loss and rebuilding

15:40 - Training at Absolute MMA

17:30 - UFC ambitions and frustration

19:30 - “This is my Rocky moment”

21:00 - Thoughts on Luke Dally’s skillset

23:00 - Move to Melbourne and training change

24:30 - Brendan Schaub comparison and Adelaide fighters

26:10 - Fight prediction

27:10 - Final message to UFC and fans

For more visit: www.australianmma.com.au

Australian MMA News is back with a full rundown of the latest stories across the local and international scene. This week, we break down major changes ahead of UFC Perth, including Jack Jenkins being ruled out and Marwan staying on the card with a new opponent, plus Tai Tuivasa receiving a late replacement.We also cover Demolition Fight Series returning, Joseph Luciano’s win in China, and Rory Turner continuing his rise with another victory on the global stage. With Eternal MMA 105 and UFC Perth just around the corner, it’s shaping up as a massive week for Australian MMA.

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro

00:25 Demolition Fight Series returns

01:55 Joseph Luciano wins in China

03:10 Tai Tuivasa gets new UFC Perth opponent

04:22 Jack Jenkins vs Marwan is off

05:35 Rory Turner wins on ONE Championship

06:35 Eternal MMA 105 and UFC Perth preview

For more visit: www.australianmma.com.au

Laurence “Manchild” Whitesmith joins Australian MMA ahead of his second professional fight at Eternal MMA 105 on May 1.Training out of Scrappy MMA alongside names like Jack Della Maddalena and under Ben Vickers, Whitesmith talks about growing up in the WA MMA scene, starting at Scrappy as a 12-year-old, taking the longer amateur road, sparring elite fighters, and why he believes his pro career is now heading in the right direction. He also breaks down his upcoming fight with Arte Trepca and why this matchup could be a major coming-out performance.

TIMECODES00:00 - Intro

02:10 - Laurence Whitesmith joins the show

03:00 - Why his pro career is starting to take off

04:10 - Starting at Scrappy MMA as a 12-year-old

05:20 - Growing up around WA MMA events

06:35 - When fighting became the goal

07:50 - Learning through hard rounds at Scrappy MMA

10:10 - Training with Jack Della Maddalena

11:40 - Realising there are levels in the gym

13:00 - The coaches and fighters who shaped his career

15:10 - Ben Vickers and the pressure of fighting on Eternal MMA

16:30 - Staying motivated after more than a decade in the sport

17:45 - Managing injuries and training like a pro

19:20 - Chasing the Eternal MMA welterweight title

20:25 - Breaking down Arte Trepca

22:00 - What fans can expect at Eternal MMA 105

22:40 - OutroFor more visit: www.australianmma.com.au

Australian MMA News is back with a full recap of the biggest stories in the local scene and beyond, including Chelsea Hackett, Sean Gauci, David Martinez and Tyson Pedro at PFL Belfast, Tom Nolan landing a ranked UFC lightweight clash, Eternal MMA announcing its return to Geelong, and bare knuckle wins for Aaron Tau and Josh Kuhne. This episode also touches on Michelle Montague’s next UFC fight and the key talking points heading into another huge week for Aussie MMA.

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro00:32 PFL Belfast results overview01:08 Chelsea Hackett gets the win02:18 Sean Gauci defeats Liam Gittins03:45 David Martinez scores another finish05:28 Alan Philpott retires after loss06:12 Tyson Pedro falls short in co-main event07:30 JJ Wilson makes a statement in the main event08:28 Tom Nolan booked against ranked UFC opponent09:28 Michelle Montague gets her next UFC fight10:05 Eternal MMA returns to Geelong11:35 Bare knuckle wins for Aaron Tau and Josh Kuhne13:08 Final thoughts and wrap up

For more visit: www.australianmma.com.au

Luke Dally joins Australian MMA ahead of his May 1 clash with Antonio Caruso in Perth on UFC weekend. He talks about the strange build-up to the fight, why he believes he is ready for the UFC, how John Campbell helps shape his game, balancing work and family with fighting, and why he expects to finish Caruso.

Luke also opens up on his post-fight speeches, the merch that has come from them, trying to join the Army before MMA, and what this fight could mean for the rest of his career.

TIMECODES:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Luke Dally joins the show
01:45 New merch and post-fight speeches
03:50 Antonio Caruso fight on UFC Perth weekend
05:40 Trying to join the Army before MMA
08:10 Balancing work, family and fighting
10:20 Why Luke believes he is UFC ready13:00 Breaking down Antonio Caruso as an opponent15:30 The strange build-up to the fight
18:10 Does Antonio Caruso think the fight is beneath him?
19:40 What kind of fight Luke expects
21:40 John Campbell’s coaching and game planning
24:10 Fighting on UFC weekend
25:30 Luke’s prediction and post-fight plans
26:40 OutroFor more visit: www.australianmma.com.au

Sean Gauci joins Australian MMA ahead of his April 18 fight in Belfast against Liam Gittins, breaking down why he signed with PFL, how the UFC opportunity unfolded after Dana White’s Contender Series, his thoughts on bantamweight vs flyweight, and why he still believes PFL will come to Australia. He also opens up on health, career setbacks, his team, and what a big performance in Belfast could mean next.

TIMECODE:

00:00 Intro
01:05 Sean Gauci joins the show
01:50 Arriving early in Belfast and adjusting
02:45 Training in Ireland with Alan Philpott
03:30 Aussies and Kiwis stacked on the card
04:20 PFL Pacific and PFL Global plans explained
05:35 Why Sean signed with PFL after Contender Series
07:15 Bantamweight vs flyweight discussion
08:45 Missing time through injury and illness
09:50 Becoming one of the older heads in the sport
10:35 Why he still fights despite a career outside MMA
11:50 Health update and how he feels at bantamweight
13:00 Wrestling, striking and evolving his style
14:45 Looking back on the Contender Series fight
16:00 Feeling respected by PFL
16:45 Breaking down Liam Gittins as an opponent
17:55 Family support and fight week in Ireland
18:40 Ryan Dunstan and the team around him
19:25 PRP Global support and shoutouts
20:00 Fight night mindset and Irish celebration plans

For more visit: www.australianmma.com.au

This week on Australian MMA, we break down the biggest stories across the local and international scene, including Matty Iann’s heartbreaking Road to UFC withdrawal, James Vake’s tough loss, Lisa Kyriacou’s latest win in China, and Carlos Ulberg’s incredible UFC title victory after battling through injury. We also look ahead to a huge upcoming week featuring Sean Gauci, Chelsea Hackett, Tyson Pedro, David Martinez and more.

TIMECODES:

0:00 Intro

0:45 Matty Iann Out of Road to UFC

5:05 James Vake Suffers Tough Loss

7:15 Lisa Kyriacou Wins in China

11:15 Carlos Ulberg Wins UFC Gold

19:45 PFL Belfast Preview

23:05 Bare Knuckle Australia Mention - Aaron Tau

24:00 Outro

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Chelsea Hackett joins Australian MMA ahead of her April 18 return in Belfast, where she takes on Andrea Vasquez after two years away from competition. In this interview, Chelsea breaks down the wild travel saga that nearly derailed her trip, her excitement around coach Ben Johnston earning a UFC opportunity, and how Eugene Bareman came into the picture for fight week. The transcript covers her return to action, training in Ireland, her opponent, and why this feels like the happiest and most motivated she has been heading into a fight.

TIMECODES:
00:00 Intro01:32 Chelsea Hackett’s nightmare flight to Belfast06:18 Weight cut and surviving travel chaos08:09 Arriving in Ireland and training overseas10:34 Ben Johnston’s UFC opportunity14:36 The emotional side of Ben’s return and Darcy Vendy’s setback18:14 Two years out of the cage and what happened21:09 Fighting on a strong Aussie and NZ-heavy car22:33 Eugene Bareman stepping in to corner23:40 Chelsea’s mindset heading into Andrea Vasquez25:02 Breaking down Andrea Vasquez26:31 Final message before fight week

Ben Johnston joins Australian MMA to talk through one of the most remarkable stories in Australian MMA this year. After retiring, vacating his Eternal MMA title and shifting fully into coaching, Ben now finds himself heading to UFC Perth with the opportunity he always chased.

In this interview, Ben opens up on how the call came together, the bittersweet circumstances around Darcy Vendy, the challenge of going from coach back to fighter, and why this moment hits differently now that life outside the cage has changed so much.

From marriage and a baby on the way to a shock UFC call-up, this is a must-watch conversation with one of the most respected figures in Australian MMA.

TIMECODES:

00:00 - Intro

02:05 - Ben Johnston reacts to getting the UFC call

05:10 - How the opportunity came together

08:35 - Darcy Vendy’s role in the story

12:20 - Returning from retirement to active fight camp

17:10 - Coach to fighter mindset shift

22:00 - Has Ben lost a step?

25:20 - Is this a one-fight return or something bigger?

28:10 - Marriage, baby news and life changing fast

32:00 - Why this is the story of the year

35:10 - Final thoughts and UFC Perth

For more visit: www.australianmma.com.au