When the UFC returns Down Under in December, it won't be just another event but a changing of the guard for Australian and New Zealand mixed martial arts.
For eight years, Kiwi Mark Hunt has flown the flag at the sport's peak. But in Adelaide he will make one lastwalk to the octagon before passing the baton to young talents like fellow heavyweight Tai Tuivasa, flyweight Kai Kara-France, and light heavyweight Tyson Pedro.
"He paved the way for us," Pedro said of Hunt. "I've been watching him since I was a kid. You look up to him as someone who's probably been in the game longer than anyone else."
The Herald can confirm Pedro (7-2) has finalised a bout against UFC veteran and No 11 ranked light heavyweight Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua (25-11) on the Adelaide card.
"It's a massive deal," Pedro said of fighting in Adelaide. "Tai and I, we've been brainstorming a lot on how we're going about these fights and also our previous fights.
We are part of the generation that is bringing MMA into every household. That's been our goal since day one.
"Rob Whittaker, one of our best in the UFC obviously being the champ, he sometimes doesn't even get on the news, like in his last fight when he beat Yoel Romero. But we're slowly getting there with the help of people who get behind MMA rather than saying it's a blood sport. "
Pedro and Tuivasa have signed on for two of the higher profile fights on the card, with Tuivasa landing his first main event and fighting on the same card as his mentor, Hunt. Tuivasa meets an old foe of Hunt's in Junior dos Santos, and Pedro meets a former rival of his mentor in Kiwi James Te Huna.
"This is a big deal for me, so I'll be coming out explosive."
With Pedro's bout announced on the Adelaide card, there will be six fighters from Australia and New Zealand on the card. Tickets for the Adelaide event go on sale from 12:30pm (NZT) on October 12.
Pedro and Tuivasa are among a host of top young talents who are helping MMA grow in Australia and New Zealand. Between the start of November and mid-December, the countries will be well represented in the UFC.
Kiwi middleweight Israel Adesanya will fight at Madison Square Garden on November 4 (NZ time) and his City Kickboxing teammate Dan Hooker has booked a high profile fight against Edson Barboza in Milwaukee on December 16 (NZ time). Hooker will be joined on the card by Australian Jessica-Rose Clark.
Confirmed bouts for UFC Fight Night Adelaide, December 2 Main event: Tai Tuivasa** v Junior dos Santos (heavyweight) Light heavyweight bout: Tyson Pedro** v Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua Heavyweight bout: Mark Hunt* v Justin Willis Flyweight bout: Kai Kara-France* v Ashkan Mokhtarian** Light heavyweight bout: Jim Crute** v Paul Craig Flyweight bout: Wilson Reis v Ben Nguyen
