Aussies and Kiwis flying the flag ahead of UFC Melbourne

THERE’S no Ronda Rousey and the main event was cooked when the main draw card Luke Rockhold pulled out, so the UFC’s return Down Under has to settle for a couple of Aussie and New Zealand headliners.

Held at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, November 27 – UFC’s latest Australian event will begin from 10.30am.

And while they don’t have the star power Melbourne’s UFC legion might have hoped for, there will still be men who pack a serious punch.

Kiwi bruiser Robert Whittaker was elevated to the headline act after Rockhold pulled out.

There’s no doubt the American’s withdrawal hurts.

Ranked number one in the UFC middle weight division, Rockhold had vowed to “pick apart” Brazilian brawler Ronald Jacare Souza – ranked number three in the division.

But instead, the 32-year-old is nursing a knee injury – and will be hoping he doesn’t need surgery to fix it.

“I’ve had quite a few assessments on the knee from different doctors,” Rockhold told Submission Radio.

“A small bundle is pulled off the ACL at the attachment point.

“I’m trying to go through the natural process of healing, which they say that there’s a high potential of it reconnecting itself.

“I’ve done two series of PRP (platelet rich plasma) shots.

“I’ll probably do a third, and I might do some stem cells.

“I’m trying to do everything that I can to avoid surgery.

“That’s a key for me.

“Anytime you go into ACL arthoscopic or reconstruction, it’s a good 12 months; it’s a year out pretty much from everything.”

“I’ve been told that potentially, in a couple of months, that it could reattach itself and I can start kicking again.

“It’s weird because it feels good in so many ways, but the moment I kick it feels like my knee is going to fall apart if I’m kicking at full power, so I’m just trying to lay off of that and not try to aggravate it and let it heal up.

Whittaker (+125 with Sportsbet.com.au) now steps up as a stop gap measure for Fight Night 101 and will take on Derek Brunson ($1.65) in the main event.

Their careers, on paper, are nearly a carbon copy. Both fighters are listed at 185 pounds, Whittaker is an inch shorter at 72 inches, with Brunson standing 73. The Kiwi sports a 17-4-0 record and is ranked number seven in the division, compared to Brunson’s 16-3-0 and ranking of eighth.

Look deeper, though, and you will find Whittaker has a serious fight on his hands.

Brunson has one five fights in a row – four of them in the first round.

“I finish fights,” Brunson said.

“Some people will like to debate about who has power, who doesn’t, but as far as I’m concerned, when you go into a fight, both guys are looking to knock each other out.

“Robert Whittaker is a dangerous striker you know, he looks to come out there and go forward and put punches on guys.”

“Whittaker is in for a bad night, and a quick night.”

Whittaker has been all business in the build up, avoiding firing shots at Brunson, saying only that he beats him “right across the board”.

“Obviously he has his skills and strengths just as I have mine,” Whittaker said.

“So my goal is to bring him into my world.

“Take him to places where I’m most comfortable.

“That’s the key.”

“I’m really looking forward to this opportunity.

“And I’ve never been more confident with a preparation.

“Like all camps you have your ups and downs.

“But now it really feels like I’m doing everything exactly right.

“I know it’s only a matter of time before I get a shot at that world title.”

The co main event might be where all the interest will lie, at least locally, with Melbourne’s Celtic Kid, Jake Matthews ($1.43) going up against American Andrew Holbrook (+186).

Matthews is one of the UFC’s rising stars, and he pulls no punches when asked about his goals.

“That’s the ultimate goal, to try to be the first Australian UFC champion,” McGregor told Fairfax News.

That goal means one man: Conor McGregor.

McGregor has risen to number two on the UFC pound for pound list after dismantling Eddie Alvarez earlier this month.

Matthews is a brash 22 year old who last lost to Kevin Lee in the first round of their TUF 23 fight.

The Irish star seems an absolute universe away from Melbourne boy Matthews, but this is the impetus of dreams.

“But that’s the ultimate goal, to try to get to the top 10 and work my way to the belt,” he said

“You know, I wouldn’t mind fighting McGregor, that would be a good fight.

“As long as you win fights you’ll do well.

“I’ve gotten close before, I think I was ranked 35, so to be in the top 40 in the world in our weight class is pretty good.

“I’ve watched a lot of the top 30 guys, I’ve watched them for a long time and I don’t think there is anything I couldn’t handle, as long as I show up on the day and do what I can do.”

He will need to show up against Holbrook, who will be wounded and looking to bounce back after a comprehensive defeat at the hands of Joaquin Silva – inside 34 seconds – at the same TUF 23 meeting.

That was all it took for the referee to stop the fight and you would expect Holbrook to present a stronger case against Matthews.