It's the world's fastest-growing sport. A new series will bring MMA into lounge rooms across Australia
Rob Wilkinson reckons cauliflower ears are an occupational hazard. Fellow world champion Jacinta Austin has, fortunately, managed to avoid any such souvenirs during her mixed martial arts career.
Both are hopeful that their sport will be showcased on a whole new level after the launch on Tuesday of the Professional Fighters League Pacific series, which chief executive Peter Murray predicted would deliver 'the most accessible MMA experience Australia has ever seen'.
While the Ultimate Fighting Championship remains the most high-profile and lucrative of the MMA codes, Murray said there were more than enough athletes and fans to warrant multiple series.
'It's the fastest-growing sport in the world,' Murray said. 'Over 600 million fans, 80 per cent outside the US … UFC cannot fulfil all that demand, and they can't create the pathways for all the great athletes and fighters around the world.'
Televised by Stan, 9Now and the 9Network, Murray said PFL Pacific will stage four events in 2026, starting with Sydney and Melbourne, as well as New Zealand.
The best-performed local fighters will then advance to the even more lucrative Champions Series in Dubai.
For Hobart-born 'Razor' Wilkinson, a world champion in the light-heavyweight division, PFL Pacific will provide an opportunity to inspire the next generation of Australian fighters.
'It's like any professional sport,' he said. 'It takes a lot of hard work and consistency and effort to get anywhere where you can kind of make a living. But I've always been passionate about it, so I enjoy what I do … there was no money for me for, you know, a good 10 years of my career and I kept doing it.
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