This weekend, Eternal returns with its 103rd event, featuring a lineup loaded with rising talent and meaningful matchups across multiple divisions. From intriguing prospects and pro debuts to a potential No. 1 contender bout, Eternal 103 shapes up as a quietly stacked card.
Despite setbacks with the losses of Raymart Quintana and Moses Deng, the promotion has rebounded well, and on paper, this looks like a thoroughly entertaining event from top to bottom.
Below, I have previewed the top of the card, as well as highlighting the prospects and matchups I find interesting lower down.
Headlining the card is an interesting clash that is sure to provide a contender for either the lightweight or featherweight title. Being contested at 155, Abdalla Biayda v Tasar Malone shapes to be an intriguing striker v grappler matchup that is sure to answer a lot of questions about both men.
Biayda is a seasoned striker with a polished Muay Thai base who was once viewed as a near lock for the UFC. However, he’s hit a rough patch, dropping three of his last four bouts by knockout.
Against Malone, who hasn’t secured a finish on the feet since the early stages of his amateur career six years ago, Biayda enters as the more proven and experienced striker. This is a pivotal spot for him to reassert himself on the feet, make a statement performance, and push his way back into the title conversation.
On the other side of the cage, Malone is an exciting prospect with an underlying quality to his game. An honourable mention in my Top 10 Prospects in Australia & New Zealand, Malone is a decently well-rounded grappler with a technical, efficient striking game to pair. Malone will be able to really test out his striking against a veteran like Biayda, whilst being comfortable in knowing he can initiate grappling sequences where he’ll likely end up in a favourable position. Traditionally a featherweight, it will be interesting to see if this is a permanent move up or just a byproduct of the relatively short-notice nature of the matchup.
A win for either man will put them firmly in title contention in either division.
In the co-main, Joseph Luciano returns to the regional scene from his Bellator & PFL run against a returning Glen Pettigrew. Pettigrew’s three professional losses have come against elite competition — former UFC champion Jack Della Maddalena and standout boxer Isaac Hardman — which is hardly a knock on his résumé.
Luciano will look to add his name to that list, but this is a compelling stylistic matchup between two slick grapplers. With Pettigrew stepping back into competition after a six-year layoff, the biggest question mark is how he’ll look after the hiatus — and which man can capitalize on the unknowns to emerge victorious.
Luciano is a seasoned fighter with a wealth of professional and amateur experience, boasting a 30-fight career between the two. He’s a relentless, grinding wrestler with a slick Jiu-Jitsu game and is a former Eternal Welterweight Champion. His four professional losses sell him short, with them coming to UFC contenders Carlos Prates and Jonathan Micaleff, as well as to former Bellator welterweight champion Logan Storley and up-and-comer Sarek Shields. They’re not just losses to anyone, and in a spot that should be a step-down in competition, Luciano will be aiming to rebuild some momentum and prove he deserves a second shot at the global level.
Stepping up on short notice to replace Raymart Quintana, Arte Trepca takes on Brit Kallum Parker, who himself is coming off an impressive 91-second KO victory over Emmanuel Ritti at Eternal 99 in October 2025.
Trepca is a premier prospect with a remarkably high ceiling. Already one of the most credentialed young fighters in the region, he’s a 2025 National Wrestling Champion, a 2023 GAMMA World Champion, and claimed amateur gold as early as just his second amateur bout. He’s also currently ranked No. 10 on my Top 10 Fighters in Australia/New Zealand with Less than 5 Pro Fights.
Skill-wise, Trepca does his best work on the mat. His quick entries, sharp level changes, and strong positional control make him a nightmare to deal with once the fight hits the ground. While his striking remains a developing area, it’s progressing to the point where it’s no longer a liability. He uses combination punching to mask his level changes, drawing opponents into exchanges before attacking the hips and bringing the fight into his world.
Coming off his first-ever loss at either professional or amateur level against arguably the most exciting prospect in the region, not named Harry Webb or George Mangos, in Brodie Mayocchi, Trepca will be looking to emphatically bounce back against Parker, a man with experience on shows like LFA, Faber’s A1 Combat, Oktagon, and Cage Warriors.
Another interesting fight on the card is the professional debut of Laurence Whitesmith, who is riding a three-fight winning streak since a pair of losses to the impressive Tom Ackerly and Absolute MMA’s Diellon Lihari that have seemingly been able to act as the perfect springboard to catapult him into a strong run leading into his pro debut. Whitesmith has no easy test in front of him, though, with former amateur champion and IMMAF competitor Kaan Husmek returning from an 18-month hiatus to spoil the hometown party and get himself back into the winner’s circle that he was so familiar with throughout his amateur career.
In a matchup between two impressive grapplers, I hope we get to see some extended grappling exchanges between these two men just to see what would happen, and whoever can manage to get their hand raised will be setting themselves up for potentially something big down the line.
Another fun professional debut is that of Jesse Ukich, who will be taking on the undefeated Zac O’Brien in a matchup that will provide a big boost to whoever can come out ahead. Ranked as #8 on my Top 10 Amateur Prospects in Australia/New Zealand, Jesse Ukich is a proven commodity ready to take the professional ranks by storm with his opportunistic submissions and an exponentially improving game. Ukich can wrap up submissions from pretty much nowhere, and on his feet, he’s defensively aware by employing skills such as his head movement and ability to manipulate distance.
In what proves to be the hardest matchup Ukich has fought to date, this will be a big opportunity for either man to really generate momentum towards something significant as they further grow into their professional careers.
Jospeh Bird is an exciting 5-2 amateur prospect out of Scrappy MMA who is coming off a razor-close split decision loss to Nima Behrouz that I honestly thought he probably should have won. Taking on Krane Burke, Bird will be looking to emphatically bounce back and prove that he is a prospect worth tracking as he progresses throughout his career.
Tyson Martin is a young, exciting Flyweight out of Lion’s Den Academy, riding a three-fight winning streak to put himself firmly in amateur title contention. Martin is looking to continue his momentum against Finn O’Keeffe and cement himself as one of the top up-and-coming amateur Flyweights in the country
Other fighters to note on the card
- Kane Rickus – Deceiving Pro Record, looking to continue building on a recent Head Kick KO at Eternal 100
- Reif Delpino – 2-0 with 2 KO/TKOs; haven’t seen much honestly, but heard good thing,s so looking forward to watching him
- Moamen Hamdon v Monte McLean – Scrappy v Luistro in a clash between two exciting prospects that will surely put the winner in a big amateur spot (or if not right on the cusp)
- Adam Lawrence – Looking to rebound from a loss in his professional debut to the infamous Farhood Khalabtar, Lawrence will be aiming for a hometown victory to even his ledger and set himself up for a big 2026.
- Ash Rodger – Looking to rebound off a pair of KO losses in 2024, but better than his record suggests, and will look to see what improvements have been made in the last two years