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

Subscribe for weekly MMA news, interviews, and fight coverage from across Australia and beyond.

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

This week on Australian MMA, we break down the biggest stories across the local and international scene, including the latest Road to UFC announcements, new fights added to UFC Perth, Ben Johnston’s incredible late UFC call-up, and a tough result for Aussie flyweight Stewart Nicolls. We also touch on Eternal MMA’s next big rivalry, UFC BJJ results for Australian athletes, and what is next for some of the region’s top names.

TIMECODES:

0:00 Intro

0:45 Road to UFC Aussies Announced

4:35 UFC Perth Fight Additions

11:55 Ben Johnston’s UFC Opportunity

15:20 Eternal MMA Rivalry Builds

17:20 Stewart Nicolls’ Tough UFC Result

19:10 Aussies in UFC BJJ

21:00 Outro

Subscribe for weekly MMA news, interviews, and fight coverage from across Australia and beyond.

www.australianmma.com.au

This week on Australian MMA, recorded Monday 30th of March 2026, we break down the biggest stories across the local and international scene. From Justin Van Heerden calling time on his career to Navajo Stirling’s rise continuing in the UFC, plus Kyle Mayocchi scoring another international win, there is plenty happening across Australian and New Zealand MMA.

We also cover UFC Perth ticket details, Casey O’Neill’s huge return, Israel Adesanya’s latest result, Aaron Tau’s bare knuckle move, and more key stories shaping the sport.

TIMECODES:

0:00 Intro

0:18 Justin Van Heerden Retirement News

3:05 UFC Perth Fight Night & Ticket Info

5:02 Melbourne Fight Series & Amateur Scene

6:35 UFC Seattle Recap

8:15 Israel Adesanya’s Latest Loss

10:05 Casey O’Neill’s Big Return

11:20 Navajo Stirling Keeps Rising

13:45 Aaron Tau Signs for Bare Knuckle

15:35 Kyle Mayocchi Wins in Japan

18:10 Parliamentary MMA Meeting & Aussie Representation

19:30 Outro

Subscribe for weekly MMA news, interviews, and fight coverage from across Australia and beyond.

For more visit: www.australianmma.com.au

Brando Pericic joins Mitchell Tinley on Australian MMA after his first-round win over Luis Sutherland at UFC London. The rising Australian heavyweight talks about his fast start in the UFC, chasing the top five, life between Adelaide, Sydney and New Zealand, his mindset in and out of camp, and why he believes a world title is inevitable.Brando also opens up on sponsorship, loyalty, handling growing media attention, his Croatian heritage, and when fans could see him back in the cage next. This is a must-watch interview with one of Australia’s most exciting heavyweight prospects.For more visit: www.australianmma.com.au