Geelong enters the cage

OWNER, Bones MMA

Eternal MMA sent waves through the Australian combat sports community when it announced its debut event in Geelong, and the promotion has delivered a fight card worthy of the hype.

In a region better known for chasing swells than submissions, the tide is turning toward a landmark night for mixed martial arts.

Australia’s premier mixed martial arts organisation will make history on Saturday night when Eternal MMA 107 takes over Geelong Arena, marking the first professional MMA event held inside a cage in the city.

With tickets nearly sold out, fight fans are expected to pack the venue for what promises to be one of the biggest combat sports events ever staged in the region.

Eternal MMA has long been regarded as Australia’s proving ground for future UFC stars.

Victorian fighters to emerge from the promotion include current UFC featherweight contender Jack Jenkins and MMA pioneer Callan Potter, both former Eternal champions.

“This card is stacked,” Jenkins said this week, with the UFC fighter expected to be among several high-profile figures from the sport in attendance.

The event comes just eight days after Eternal sold out a major event on the Gold Coast, highlighting the rapid growth of mixed martial arts across Australia.

Headlining the card is a heated lightweight showdown between Australian veteran Justin Van Heerden and Melbourne’s Emrehan Hekimoglu.

Van Heerden, a former Eternal featherweight champion and long-time training partner of UFC featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski, has announced the bout will be the final fight of his career after 28 appearances for the promotion.

The rivalry between the pair has simmered for years, setting the stage for an emotional and explosive main event.

The co-feature bout sees two of Australia’s top emerging featherweights, Jett Fisher and Jesse Swain, battle for position near the top of one of the country’s most competitive divisions.

Eternal MMA veteran MC Blake Richardson was clear on which bout he felt would stand and deliver: “Kim Tran and Alish Smith, for mine, is one of the most intriguing fights on the card. They say big things come in small packages, and this pair at 52kg hit like heavyweights!”

The local interest will be strong in the featured strawweight contest between Kim Tran and Alish Smith.

Tran enters on a five-fight winning streak after competing internationally, while former Warrnambool fighter Smith returns home following campaigns in the United States and Europe.

The contest will also mark the first professional women’s MMA bout held in Geelong.

Armstrong Creek siblings Ana and Kourosh Arvan will also feature on the card, while former Torquay Tiger Hayden Cooke returns to action against Fatih Turer in a catchweight contest.

With 13 professional bouts scheduled and some of Australia’s best talent on display, Eternal MMA 107 is shaping as a landmark night for Geelong sport.