Know Your Fighter: Egert Messek

Full Name:
Egert Messek

Age:
23

Where were you born:
Estonia

Where do you live:
Perth

Which gym do you train out of:
Guardians / Wilkes MMA

Who are your coaches:
George Garley, David Wilks

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
Blue belt in Jiu Jitsu
Brown belt in Judo

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
I did Judo and played football – that was it.

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
I began my MMA path in 2017 under my Estonian coach Henri Hiiemäe. He was a professional fighter himself, and when he moved to my hometown, I immediately started taking MMA seriously.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
I like to push the body to its maximum and love the feeling of accomplishment. My favourite session of the week is sparring – I enjoy the flow, the chaos, the transitions. Sparring can be so many things at once, but when the mind stays composed, it all makes sense.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
My mindset and willingness to learn. I also adapt well to any scenario.

How would you describe your fighting style:
Flowstate – there is no opponent, only reactions. The way the body moves is how the mind responds.

What is your favourite sport and why:
MMA – because it’s the ultimate blend. That’s why it’s called mixed martial arts. Many styles at once.

Who is your favourite athlete:
Jon Jones – for his fighting IQ.
Also Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen – his understanding of mental warfare sets him apart.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Jon Jones and Petr Yan.

What are your immediate and long term goals:
To become the best version of myself. That’s what makes all the difference.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
Expect the unexpected.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
I’m always hunting the finish when the opportunity arises – but I’m more than ready to go three rounds.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
Thanks to everyone for the support – coaches, training partners, friends and family. Whether you’re on the other side of the world or right here, we share the same values. I appreciate you all.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you on socials:
Instagram: @egert_messek

Watch Egert Messek fight at Eternal MMA 97 on Saturday, June 28.

Know Your Fighter: Jesse Swain

Full Name:
Jesse Swain

Age:
25

Where were you born:
Sydney, Australia

Where do you live:
Vineyard

Which gym do you train out of:
Australian Top Team

Who are your coaches:
The Mokhtarian brothers

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
Blue belt in BJJ
Green belt in Judo
UFN Double Champion (135 & 145)

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Football (soccer)

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
Late 2019 – I began training and made it a part of my lifestyle.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
Jiu Jitsu – the constant learning and evolution has me hooked.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
My speed and agility for my length in the division makes me a problem. I also have the ability to strike and finish from both stances.

How would you describe your fighting style:
Dynamic striker with a legit submission threat.

What is your favourite sport and why:
MMA is my favourite sport to participate in, but my favourite to watch is basketball.

Who is your favourite athlete:
Trae Young

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Georges St-Pierre

What are your immediate and long term goals:
Continue competing in MMA and Jiu Jitsu. One day, open my own gym.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
A highlight reel finish.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
I see myself being too dominant in all areas and finishing in the first round.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
Love everyone who supports my journey in this crazy sport, and I hope I can inspire in some way.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you on socials:
Instagram: @jesseswain2.0

Watch Jesse Swain fight at Eternal MMA 97 on Saturday, June 28.

Know Your Fighter: Daryl Paille

Full Name:
Daryl Paille

Age:
30

Where were you born:
Cameroun

Where do you live:
Perth

Which gym do you train out of:
Luistro Combat Academy

Who are your coaches:
Romel Luistro

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
Blue belt

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Soccer

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
I started two years ago and took it seriously from the beginning.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
All sessions are my favourites. At LCA I’m learning every day.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
I have the tools for everything — I can do it all.

How would you describe your fighting style:
Boxing and wrestling.

What is your favourite sport and why:
Football, because it’s the sport I grew up playing.

Who is your favourite athlete:
Daryl.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Daryl.

What are your immediate and long term goals:
Win this fight, and keep winning.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
A good fight — I’m never in a boring one.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
I see myself finishing the fight in the early rounds.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
I love you all.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you on socials:
Instagram: @le_lion_2

Watch Daryl Paille fight at Eternal MMA 97 on Saturday, June 28.

Know Your Fighter: Dan Gall

Full Name:
Daniel Gall

Age:
28

Where were you born:
Gold Coast

Where do you live:
Gold Coast

Which gym do you train out of:
CMBT

Who are your coaches:
Miles Muecke, Brentin Mumford, Sammy McLaren, Reece McLaren

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
Blue belt in BJJ

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Rugby League and Muay Thai

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
At 24 as a hobby, and at 27 as a profession.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
Spyda sessions — they’re the closest thing to being in a fight.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
My work ethic.

How would you describe your fighting style:
Must-watch TV.

What is your favourite sport and why:
MMA — there’s just nothing like it. Fights can be finished at any time, no matter who is dominating.

Who is your favourite athlete:
Anderson Silva

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Cory Sandhagen

What are your immediate and long term goals:
Immediate — be in the top 5 amateurs by the end of the year.
Long term — get my chance at Road to UFC.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
Fight of the night.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
Exactly how both of our last fights went — me dominating and him being knocked out.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
I can’t thank everyone who supports me enough. Sometimes it’s overwhelming knowing that so many people care this much about me chasing my dreams.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you on socials:
Instagram: @danieltheprophetmma

Watch Dan Gall fight at Eternal MMA 97 on Saturday, June 28.

Know Your Fighter: Campbell Symes

Full Name:
Campbell Symes

Age:
26

Where were you born:
Broken Hill

Where do you live:
Phuket, Thailand

Which gym do you train out of:
P’Chai Muay Thai & MMA

Who are your coaches:
Samuel Cassidy, Colton Kielbasa

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
1st Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Soccer

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
At 16 years old, when I moved to Phuket, Thailand.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
Sparring. I’m not the biggest fan of drilling — it’s all about going live for me.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
Mental strength. I’m not the best athlete to grace the earth, but I’ve done some pretty mentally challenging things throughout my career.

How would you describe your fighting style:
Technical

What is your favourite sport and why:
MMA — there’s no other answer.

Who is your favourite athlete:
Charles Oliveira (MMA) and Petchanong Petchfurgus (Muay Thai)

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Charles Oliveira (MMA) and Petchanong Petchfurgus (Muay Thai)

What are your immediate and long term goals:
Win this fight, move onto a title fight, and then make my way to the UFC.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
A constant attempt at the finish.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
It’s a very interesting fight for me. Everyone thinks I’m a grappler, but I’ve had 10 Muay Thai fights in 2025 alone — so don’t be surprised to see a finish on the feet.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
Let’s do it. To the top we go.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you on socials:
Instagram: @gumby_bjj

Watch Campbell Symes fight at Eternal MMA 97 on Saturday, June 28.

Know Your Fighter: Frank Jankowski

Full Name:
Frank Jankowski

Age:
27

Where were you born:
Darwin

Where do you live:
Perth

Which gym do you train out of:
Wolves Den

Who are your coaches:
Stephen Walton

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
Purple Belt in BJJ
Green Belt in Judo

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Judo and Muay Thai

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
When I was 17, after finishing school.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
Saturday sparring and conditioning.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
Grit and determination.

How would you describe your fighting style:
Fast and high pace.

What is your favourite sport and why:
MMA — because it’s fighting in its full form.

Who is your favourite athlete:
Alex Volkanovski

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Robert Whittaker

What are your immediate and long term goals:
To win this fight, then look to get my belt back.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
Creative violence.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
Late TKO.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
Ready for war and to push the pace.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you on socials:
Instagram: @frank_j53

Watch Frank Jankowski fight at Eternal MMA 97 on Saturday, June 28.

Know Your Fighter: Sam Hibberd

Full Name:
Sam Hibberd

Age:
35

Where were you born:
Alice Springs

Where do you live:
Mildura

Which gym do you train out of:
Absolute MMA

Who are your coaches:
Simon Carson, Raja Shippen, Kru Leamthong

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
BJJ Brown Belt.
Former Eternal MMA Bantamweight Champion.

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Basketball

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
Around 20–21 years of age

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
Constant personal growth.
Friday night sparring.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
Well-rounded skill set, submissions, rangy striking.

How would you describe your fighting style:
Drunken kickboxing

What is your favourite sport and why:
Basketball — especially behind-the-scenes management.

Who is your favourite athlete:
Dillon Brooks

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Kevin Holland

What are your immediate and long term goals:
Reclaim the bantamweight title.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
A show.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
Shane will try to bridge distance, blitz, bang and wrestle — I’ll catch his chin or his neck.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
I’m back.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you on socials:
Instagram: @hamsibberd

Watch Sam Hibberd fight at Eternal MMA 97 on Saturday, June 28.

Know Your Fighter: Juan Relleno

Full Name:
Juan Manuel Ignatius Barcillano Relleno

Age:
27

Where were you born:
Naga City, Philippines

Where do you live:
Baldivis, WA

Which gym do you train out of:
Wilkes MMA

Who are your coaches:
David Wilkes, Matt Erceg

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
BJJ Blue Belt.
Undefeated in Muay Thai and Kickboxing.
Freestyle Martial Arts Blue Belt.
Okinawa Shorin Ryu Green Belt.

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Basketball, Rugby League, Athletics, Karate.

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
After my first win via knockout, I thought to myself… maybe I am good at this.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
My favourite part about training is the community. I’m surrounded by like-minded people all with the same goal of improving and getting better in all aspects of our lives.
My favourite session is Saturday sparring — this is the day we do our fight simulations and find out if there’s a shift in the gym rankings for the week.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
My greatest strength is that I refuse to quit. You’re going to have to kill me to stop me from getting back up and trying again.

How would you describe your fighting style:
Elusive, technical and very flowy… until I get hit — then it’s full steam ahead into a firefight.

What is your favourite sport and why:
MMA is my favourite sport. In every other sport, if people have disputes, they end up fighting or pretending to fight. Might as well cut the preamble and get to business.
If I have an argument in basketball, we end up fighting. In MMA, we don’t argue — we settle it directly.

Who is your favourite athlete:
Magic Johnson

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Max Holloway

What are your immediate and long term goals:
My immediate goal is to steal the show at Eternal 97 and make myself a household name.
Long term — go pro and make a run at that very pretty Eternal Featherweight belt.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
A pretty smile, fireworks, and tension throughout the entire fight. It can all end in the blink of an eye.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
My opponent and I will look each other in the eyes, have an unspoken agreement to duke it out — and the first man to shoot will forever be branded a coward to the other.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
Buy Eternal 97 tickets. Use code RELLENO on Fighter Fan Club and wear PINK to show support for me as I make the walk to entertain the people.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you on socials:
Instagram: @j.relleno13

Watch Juan Relleno fight at Eternal MMA 97 on Saturday, June 28.

Know Your Fighter: Ryan Dennis

Full Name:
Ryan Dennis

Age:
28

Where were you born:
Wisbech, England

Where do you live:
Bicton, Perth

Which gym do you train out of:
Wilkes Mixed Martial Arts

Who are your coaches:
David Wilkes, Matthew Erceg, Steve Erceg

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
Blue belt in BJJ.

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Played football (soccer) for 23 years in the UK.

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
Started at 16 just training once a week, and then after 3–4 months it turned into twice a week. After probably 8–9 months, I was training full-time in the evenings. It’s always been a hobby for me, but as soon as I started competing at 17, I knew I was addicted to the competition side of things.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
I would originally have said the grappling aspects, but training at a couple of different gyms really opened my eyes to where my game was lacking. I enjoy a technical striking class, but ultimately I’d say wall wrestling is my favourite.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
I’d say my greatest strengths are my experience in the cage and not taking too much damage — mixing the striking and grappling if things aren’t going my way.

How would you describe your fighting style:
I’d say I’m just an all-round mixed martial artist — not afraid to strike, and not shy about taking things to the ground. Back in the day, I was definitely a lay-and-pray guy before I discovered some power in my shots.

What is your favourite sport and why:
MMA, without a shadow of a doubt. It’s a sport of highs and lows, but when it’s your hand getting raised and you know you’ve put in the work and earned it — there’s no feeling on this planet that could match that.

Who is your favourite athlete:
As a football fan throughout my childhood, it would have to be Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool midfielder.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
I used to love watching Chad Mendes and TJ Dillashaw when they competed, but if we’re talking about whose skills I’d want to inherit — it would be Demetrious Johnson.

What are your immediate and long term goals:
Immediate goals are to stay fit and healthy, compete as much as possible, and secure a permanent life here in Australia. Long term — I want to always be involved in MMA in some way. Whether that’s as a coach or just being a solid training partner for up-and-coming talent, I want it to be in Australia.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
I used to pull in a good crowd back in the UK, and now the aim is to gain some fans here and have every promoter happy to have me on their show.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
He’s a very well-rounded guy. I know it’s going to be a tough fight, so I’ve got to take it to him, test his gas tank, and see what happens. One thing’s for sure — I’m ready for any outcome.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far in my career. Being on a show of this calibre is a huge step up, and I couldn’t have done it without you — thank you!

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you on socials:
Instagram: @ryan_dennis_

Watch Ryan Dennis fight at Eternal MMA 97 on Saturday, June 28.

Know Your Fighter: Brady Walker

Full Name:
Brady Walker

Age:
19

Where were you born:
Australia

Where do you live:
Perth

Which gym do you train out of:
Wilkes MMA

Who are your coaches:
David Wilkes, Matt Erceg, Steve Erceg

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
White belt in BJJ.

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
I played all sports growing up, especially AFL.

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
I started to take MMA seriously about three years ago.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
I enjoy training because of the environment I train in. Without training at Wilkes, I wouldn’t be doing it.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
The ability to adapt to any situation in the fight — whether it’s a war or a more technical battle.

How would you describe your fighting style:
I’m a rangy striker and dangerous on the outside.

What is your favourite sport and why:
MMA, because I do it.

Who is your favourite athlete:
Alexander Volkanovski.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Alexander Volkanovski.

What are your immediate and long term goals:
I want to take the sport as far as I can and one day turn pro.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
Expect an exciting fight and to be happy they paid to see me.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
A fight mainly on the feet, with two styles clashing and my style coming out on top — by keeping him on the end of my punches, frustrating him, and then finding the finish.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
Thanks for all the support — now let’s get the job done.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you on socials:
Instagram: @brady.walker8

Watch Brady Walker fight at Eternal MMA 97 on Saturday, June 28.