Eternal MMA is looking to rubber-stamp their authority locally, with some quality match-ups announced for their first two events of the year.
Along the notable bouts will be a lightweight title fight featuring Jack Becker, a flyweight contender bout, and some intriguing debuts of fighters crossing over from Muay Thai.
The first card of the year, Eternal MMA 64, will take place out of HBF Stadium in Perth on February 26 while the Gold Coast Sports Precinct will host Eternal MMA 65 on March 19.
Eternal MMA 64 will be headlined by Jack Becker (10-2), the current lightweight champion, who in his last few appearances, has made a definite claim to a shot internationally.
He captured the title with a stoppage over Daniel Hill at Eternal 61 before returning at Eternal 63, defending his title with a first-round submission over Brentin Mumford.
Standing on the other side will be Victorian fighter Aidan Aguilera (8-5) who gets another shot at Becker. The two met at Coastal Combat 9 in April last year, where Becker walked away with the decision victory.
After a nearly four-year absence, former featherweight champion Ryan Gray (8-3) will look to make his return and is scheduled to face Justin Van Heerden (7-5) on the card while Colby Thicknesse (1-0), one of the main training partners of Alex Volkanovski, will take on Anthony Drillich (2-1). Josh Della (4-3) returns as well and will meet Nick Kepu (1-1).
The Gold Coast card will be headlined by a flyweight battle between Shannon Ross (13-5) and bantamweight champ Shaun Etchell (7-2). With the current flyweight champion, Steve Erceg being close to getting an international opportunity, the winner of this bout could go on to be the next champion.
Popular Gold Coast favourite Josh Kuhne (3-0) will look to continue his rise to a title fight when he meets the toughest challenge of his short career, in Blake Donnelly (5-1).
Muay Thai fighters Ben Johnston and Rocky Ogden will both make the transition to MMA for the first time. Johnston meets Kaleb Rideout while Ogden, clashes with Matt Seden.
Added to the card yesterday, was a women’s strawweight fight between Jacinta Austin and Alish Smith.
Eternal MMA 64
Fight Card (Pro):
- Jack Becker (c) vs. Aidan Aguilera – Eternal lightweight title
- Ryan Gray vs. Justin Van Heerden
- Josh Della vs. Nick Kepu
- Mark Familari vs. Jack Hayes
- Anthony Drillich vs. Colby Thicknesse
- Abdullah Eltigani vs. Rafael Vilches
- Kevin Kophamel vs. Jamie Hunt
- Harvinder Mohar vs. Frank Jankowski
- Khan Deatta vs. Lachlan Stitt
Fight Card (Amateur):
- Wyatt Fraser vs. Cory McKinnon
- Stefan Pietropaolo vs. Rohan Gray
- Darcy Spowart vs. Dan Molineux
- Mason Baines vs. Rusty Russell
- Ryan Jankowski vs. Liam Hoskin
- Tristan O’Brien vs. Moses Deng
Eternal MMA 65
Fight Card (Pro):
- Shaun Etchell vs. Shannon Ross
- Josh Kuhne vs. Blake Donnelly
- Jacinta Austin vs Alish Smith
- Jamie Edenden vs. Sara Collins
- Ben Johnston vs. Kaleb Rideout
- Diego Pereira vs. Jesse Medina
- Darcy Vendy vs. Mat Myers
- Rocky Ogden vs. Matt Seden
- Cody Watego vs Mirwais Kakar
Fight Card (Amateur):
- Coby Porter vs. Tasar Malone
- Levi Gonzalez vs. Val Sharipov
- Kyle Gauthier vs. Alex Ross
- Stefan Lipski vs. Dan Gall
- Jimmy McKenna vs. Dominique Simon
