Top 10 Amateur MMA Prospects in Australia & New Zealand

As 2025 draws to a close, this article aims to encapsulate the year that was across Australian and New Zealand MMA. This marks the first instalment in a three-part series, beginning with my top ten amateur prospects from ANZ. Part two will focus on fighters with five professional bouts or fewer. The final piece ranks my overall top ten regional professional prospects. Part two will drop tomorrow on Christmas Day, and part three will drop the following day on Boxing Day.

 

This list proved to be the most challenging of the three to compile. Reliable footage at the amateur level remains difficult to access. Much of Australia’s regional scene sits behind expensive paywalls that are primarily designed to take advantage of friends and family of competitors. As a result, evaluation is often limited. While I was fortunate to find sufficient tape on the athletes, there will almost certainly be omissions or undervalued fighters based purely on limited available footage rather than a lack of ability.

 

Condensing this list was also no easy task. There were several stiff omissions, but the reality is that not everyone can be included. In shaping the final ten, I prioritised long-term upside over current polish given at the amateur level, potential is arguably the primary attribute people look for. Technical ability remains essential, but distinguishing traits, growth trajectory, and future ceiling were key factors in separating those selected.

 

Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this list possible. @fightnightaus — a true OG of the Australian regional MMA scene — will be making a welcome return to content creation in 2026. Benny P, Australia’s most plugged-in fight news breaker and Emiliano Linares’ least-favourite analyst; rising flyweight prospect and content queen Danielle Curtis, who looks set for a big 2026; and Joel from Southern Cross Combat, Campbell Symes’ long-lost brother, and an exceptionally sharp mind in the space.

 

Their insights, tape sharing, and willingness to help fill in gaps were invaluable. This list would be significantly thinner — and far more difficult to put together — without their contributions. Anyone with an interest in Australian and New Zealand regional MMA should be following their work; links to all of them are included below.

 

Links

• Benny P – Twitter; YouTube
• Danielle Curtis – Instagram; TikTok
• Southern Cross Combat (Joel) – YouTube; Instagram
• @fightnightaus – Instagram