What belts or rankings do you currently posses as a martial artist:
None
What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Athletics, football, bmx, skateboarding
When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
20
Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
Sparring, simulation
What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
Composed. Big hand’s, big kick’s, big wrestling
How would you describe your fighting style:
Pressure
What is your favourite sport and why:
Mma, chosen sport
Who is your favourite athlete:
No one particular, depends on their beliefs and values despite success in their chosen field. Who their sponsors, funding/ donors are. If they are authentic or if they self censor to keep themselves monetised on platforms. Add to that do they critical think and did they fall for the covid psyop to stay relevant.
Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Mike tyson or Jon Jones on ability alone and charisma in their dialogue.
What are your immediate and long term goals:
Immediate = current fight Long term = continue competition succeeding, ufc onwards.
When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
G.B.H …. Grievous bodily harm
How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
Consume said individual
A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
Thank you to my family and LCA for the training and support for many years.
Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:
What belts or rankings do you currently posses as a martial artist:
Ranked #10 pro men’s bantamweight Australia and new Zealand
What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Bjj, boxing, judo, mma, rugby, archery, mauy thai
When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
Took mma seriously as a hobby around 13 and as a profession in my mid 20s
Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
Favourite aspect would be technique and sparring. Learn new skills and techniques and apply them in sparring and see what works and how to apply that move in a practical setting.
What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
My willing to fight to the end and my pure dedication to martial arts
How would you describe your fighting style:
Clinical, precise and explosive
What is your favourite sport and why:
Mma for the fact that there’s always room to improve and get better and learn.
Who is your favourite athlete:
Manny Pacquiao
Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Fedor emelianenko
What are your immediate and long term goals:
To win and take over my division
When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
That somone is going to get put to sleep
How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
Victory by ko/tko
A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
My love and respect to the people who help and support me on my path to victory
Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:
Romel luistro (head coach) Tom Barns (wrestling) Toby smith (Muay Thai)
What belts or rankings do you currently posses as a martial artist:
Brown belt jiu Jitsu
What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Australian rules football Skateboarding
When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:
Started training in March 2018 and I knew I wanted to make it my career after my first amateur win in November 2018.
Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
Tuesday wrestling practice is my favourite session of the week.
What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
The ability to learn and apply new skills consistently.
How would you describe your fighting style:
Gangsta
What is your favourite sport and why:
Other than mma I’d say AFL The game is so dynamic it is very entertaining to watch and fun to play.
Who is your favourite athlete:
Magnus Carlson
Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Mike Tyson
What are your immediate and long term goals:
To get to the ufc and become their lightweight champion
When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
An exciting fight that won’t go the distance
How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
I’ll get the finish inside 2 rounds.
A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
Thank you to all my Family and friends for all the support over last 5 years. I’ve been blessed to have you all along for the journey so far. Let’s keep it going.
Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:
What belts or rankings do you currently posses as a martial artist:
No belts in anything. Only train within the MMA classes.
What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Played basketball tennis and football growing up. Top two sports was definitely basketball and tennis. Played in both state grades for each sport. MMA is deff my worse sport and wish you could just swap out skills from one sport to another.
When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hoby and then as a potential profession:
MMA for me as always been a sport that I enjoy learning and developing in. I have done so many other sports I feel I reached my limit but MMA so new and always learning and getting beat up at class. It keeps the fuel burning and my competitive drive alive. I didn’t ever think I’d fight. It was a means to stay fit and lose weight as I got fairly close to the 100kg mark after breaking my leg. My first ever fight was my first fight at Eternal and I was so nervous as scared but loved the bright lights and crowd. Here we are now many fights in and next goal would love a pro fight and tick that of the list of accomplishments in sports
Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
Favorite aspect of training….. I guess that’s when Dave says we going out for dinner and drinks ahah. I love training just for the trash talk we all have together at the gym and banter. I really enjoy seeing the young boys develop and grow and hope for the brightest future for them and always do all I can to help them. Mainly it’s telling them don’t do what I did and try play every sport .lock down and focus on one and be great. I can tell you worst session is wrestling and shark tank rounds with Matt erceg Tough class and even tougher coach. No fun and games during that class but nothing bring more joy if you can get Matt to crack a smile during class
What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
I’d like to think my best strength is managing distance and getting a good read on fighters early. Noticing such small detail or how they throwing combos. My coach Dave has always said that and been calm and relaxed inside the cage. Been able to change stances and fight from both has always been a good mix up and I feel can give me a lot more options then my opponent. I used to say my fitness was a great strength of mine but last few years it’s been a tough one.
How would you describe your fighting style:
Unorthodox style . Throw shots from odd spots and like to mix up my approach alot .. from loose in and out style or in tight guard up style I think that causes alot of different looks for me.
What is your favourite sport and why:
Tough question I love basketball and tennis. Basketball for the banter and the moves and mental games that go on within the game. It’s such a smooth highlight sport. I believe they are the best athletes in the world. Then tennis i love for the opposite. Individual game. So mentally tough and hard. The long sets the no coaching. How quickly a tennis match can change and your never out of a match with the scoring system. Choose which ever. Love them both
Who is your favourite athlete:
Rafal Nadal would have to be my favorite athlete Very close with Allen Iverson but I watched alot more of rafa and was playing the highest level of sport for longer On and off the court Rafal Nadal is a champion Humble kind and complete warrior
Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
I’m sorry but it’s Conner McGregor Trash talk and banter Smart arse comments it’s my favorite past time Ruthless at time but it’s my favorite thing and he tops it for that Done good and bad for the sport but really exploded MMA around the world
What are your immediate and long term goals:
Immediate Love to get another fight sooner rather then later before I blow out again. Not good having to wait so long been matched up. Long term Love that pro fight experience maybe over east or somthing and hear the boos and hate. I would enjoy that.
When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
Fun high paced fight. Most my fights have had back and fourth drama and somthing different and exciting and I always hear the crowd level noise increase. Most of all know they have great song to sing to when I walk out.
How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
Think it’s going to be a tough war to be honest. High paced and very technical on the feet I don’t see either of us going to the ground. Test out his great boxing hands and a fun finish in the works
A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
You know what I’m about I try to do it all so thanks for coming thanks for buying tickets and supporting me Thanks for the love and support and like always win loose or draw hate or love me it’s a party weekend and let’s have fun now.
Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:
What belts or rankings do you currently posses as a martial artist:
Blue belt BJJ
What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Judo Kickboxing
When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hoby and then as a potential profession:
Started doing mma 10 years ago and started fighting 6 years ago
Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:
Favourite part of training is working on my crafts. And socialising with everyone at the gym. My best session of the week is fighters training on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Always a hard push to get better as a athlete
What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:
Agility and creativity. Kickboxing and wrestling.
How would you describe your fighting style:
Creative striking and pressure grappling.
What is your favourite sport and why:
MMA because it’s all aspects of martial arts
Who is your favourite athlete:
Alex volkanoski
Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:
Robert Whittaker
What are your immediate and long term goals:
To be fighting as long as possible .
When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:
A fast and explosive fight to be excited for
How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:
Long hard tough fight with my hand getting raised at the end of it
A final message to any friends, family and supporters:
To be ready for a 5 round war
Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:
Eternal MMA sits down with lightweight challenger Quillan Salkilld for a Q&A ahead of his championship fight against Blake Donnelly at Eternal 76.
Age:
23
Where were you born:
I was born in Perth. I spent my most of my childhood in Broome.
Where are you based now:
I am now based in Perth.
Which gym to you train out of:
I train at Luistro Combat Academy.
Who are your coaches:
My main coach in Romel Luistro.
What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
I have received my brown-belt in jiu-jitsu.
What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
When I was growing up, I got in to skating a lot. That was one of my first dreams – I wanted to be a professional skater. I also got into Aussie Rules footy as well, that was my second dream before MMA – I wanted to be an AFL player.
When did you first decide to dedicate yourself to the sport of MMA:
I first went all in on the sport when I got my first win. After I got my first win, that’s when I decided that this is what I want to do full-time, I want to keep chasing that feeling.
Favourite aspect of training:
Seeing myself and my team build. We have been working together for years, seeing everyone steadily improve, seeing where we have come from and where we are at now – we see the trajectory of where we are going to go.
What do you consider to be your greatest strengths as a mixed martial artist:
My greatest strength is my ability to absorb information. My ability to learn anything and get better.
Can you compare your fighting style to any high level mixed martial artist:
I’m not sure, but I’d like to be like Zabit Magomedsharipov. He’s such a complete fighter and he has a really cool style. He’s someone who I guess I aim to be like.
Who would you consider to be some of your favourite combat sports athletes:
Nothing really comes to mind as a “favourite”. I like a lot of people. Guys like Zabit and Conor McGregor – one of the guys who got me in to training. Before I even started training, I was hearing about him and kind of became a fan beforehand.
Which fight do you consider to be your standout performance so far:
I’d say my last fight in February of this year. I found my mindset and everything going into that fight was bulletproof. I felt invincible in there. I think I really showcased my skills that night.
What are your goals for both the immediate and long-term future:
Immediate goal is to win the Eternal lightweight belt. My long-term goal is to win the UFC lightweight belt.
What can fans expect to see from you when you step foot inside the cage:
They can expect to see a complete martial artist. They’re not going to find any holes in my game, they’re going to find out that I’m good at everything.
How do you see yourself getting your hand raised at Eternal 76:
The perfect way would just be a finish inside of five-rounds.
A final message to your fans and supporters.
I just want to say thankyou to everyone. Especially my close friends, family, teammates, coaches – everyone that’s been looking out for me for the last four or five years. I just want to say thankyou and one day I will pay it back.
Eternal MMA sits down with Peter Templer for a Q&A ahead of his co-main event bout at Eternal 75 against Lachlan Stitt.
Age:
25.
Where were you born:
I was born in Adelaide, but I’ve been in Mackay most of my life.
Where are you based now:
Mackay
Which gym to you train out of:
Mackay MMA
Who are your coaches:
It’s changed a little bit recently, but David Garnham’s always sort of my head coach. I’ve got Dan Moulder – he’s more of a striking coach. I do a bit of work with some other guys – Clint McLachlan, Danny Borg… Ash Clein’s been holding pads for me. So, I’ve got a few guys to work with.
What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:
I got my black-belt six months ago in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:
Always played soccer from a young age. I was pretty serious about soccer until I got to about fifteen, then I stared training MMA. That sort of took over, I still played (soccer) for a couple of years but it’s all MMA now.
When did you first decide to dedicate yourself to the sport of MMA:
I started when I was fifteen, but the gym was only (operating) two or three times a week (back) then. As we’ve grown, we train five or six days a week for the last eight years or so.
Favourite aspect of training:
Definitely just those hard, long rounds rolling or wrestling where we can just go hard. Striking, you have to be obviously a bit more controlled.
What do you consider to be your greatest strengths as a mixed martial artist:
I took naturally to jiu-jitsu – I had a pretty natural grasp on that nice and early. Also, I think I can be coached pretty well. I don’t get stuck in my ways and I can adapt quickly to new information.
Can you compare your fighting style to any high level mixed martial artist:
Not so much in recent years, but I used to really like to emulate Rory MacDonald – he was just one of those earlier than guys that was straight MMA, he didn’t have a super specific specialty. Just MMA from the start.
Who would you consider to be some of your favourite combat sports athletes:
Not so much one favourite, I’ll pretty much just support the Aussie’s. If they’re Australian, even Kiwi, that’ll do – I’ll back them guys.
Which fight do you consider to be your standout performance so far:
The last one against (Michael) Tepou was definitely a great fight for me. We stuck to the game plan; another heavy striker similar to Lachlan in that regards (albeit) a very different body. The game plan worked perfectly, stuck to it and came away nice win.
What are your goals for both the immediate and long-term future:
Short-term obviously (is to) win this one this weekend and perform. Long term – even out the record, get a couple more wins and then start looking for that Eternal title.
What can fans expect to see from you when you step foot inside the cage:
Most of my wins have definitely come from jiu-jitsu, but I think my striking has definitely caught up in recent years doing a lot of work with Dan Moulder. They can expect a different fight from the usual this time around.
How do you see yourself getting your hand raised at Eternal 75:
I don’t like to have anything set in stone so I’m ready for anything. But I think it might be a KO/TKO this time around.
A final message to your fans and supporters.
Big thanks to all my coaches, all the people coming to watch – it’s a long way to travel from Mackay to “Goldy”. I’ve got a decent crew coming to support. (Also), all of the other people and training partners that have helped me in this training camp and along the way.
Eternal 74 is set to play host to a matchup that is poised to draw attention to a very important issue surrounding military veterans and life after discontinuing their service.
Ex Australian military serviceman and co-founder of ‘Veterans MMA’ Ash Pendergast will make his competitive mixed martial arts debut when he faces off against a fellow military veteran in New Zealand native, Cole Smith.
With boxing & Thai boxing experience prior to his military service, Pendergast came to understand just how valuable a gym-based community can be for those seeking purpose and camaraderie once they return to civilian life.
For a large number of ex-servicemen, the prospect of reassimilating back into society after spending years of their lives seeing and experiencing the ravages of war can often be a challenge too difficult to face, especially as an individual.
For Pendergast, MMA provided the perfect opportunity for him to help fellow combat veterans to find a place amongst like-minded people, with a goal of supporting one another in finding another meaning in life beyond the military.
Speaking with Eternal MMA, Pendergast provided some insight into the challenges facing military veterans and how he is helping change the lives of those he has worked with.
“The issue with leaving service is you go from this (situation) where you’ve got a hundred mates and you’ve done and seen a lot of intense things. All of a sudden, you’re back in a civilian population, you’re quite desensitised and it’s a struggle to blend back in. A lot of vets isolate after that – being so desensitised with their personalities.”
“A lot of guys do isolate and on the Sunshine Coast here, it is a big issue. We do have a lot of veterans here, but they don’t seem to get out and do much.”
Teaming up with industry professionals, Pendergast and fellow founding members James Osborne and Rob Giuffrida sought to create an environment that would provide other veterans with a sanctuary that would allow them to meet and train exclusively with others that have shared the same experiences.
“The purpose was to create something that was exciting enough to get veterans out of the house,” said Pendergast.
“We wanted to create a veterans-only environment, so they didn’t have to worry about what they said around people, they could let their desensitised humour fly around, they didn’t have to watch what they say, they could literally be themselves and not worry.”
Through the ‘Integrated MMA’ gym on the Sunshine Coast, the founding members and coaches created a training and social program that would cater to any and all veterans – regardless of any impairment or disability.
Along with the ability to be able to train and experience martial arts with other veterans, Pendergast insists that the community aspect is just as vital, with no requirement for any attendees to join in the training aspect in order to be a part of the community.
“Rob Giuffrida and Jordan Southern are our two head MMA coaches: they created an amazing package. Rob’s the type of guy that really knows that even if we get a guy that comes in with one arm and one leg, (he’s) going to find a guy for that guy to wrestle – his knowledge of biomechanics and anatomy is amazing.”
“The training itself is veterans only (but) you don’t even really have to train to go in there. The idea is to get them in there, get a little community going where they just have a bit of banter and talk a bit of crap to each other.
“Generally, we have about forty-five minutes of drilling; whether it’s jiu-jitsu, wrestling, striking or maybe just some MMA drills. We usually have about thirty minutes for live activities, where they can be sparring, rolling or wrestling.”
“After that, we usually give them about an hour, maybe even more where it’s just allocated for socialising, we promote it too; we give them a bit of banter. When the guys are injured or even the guys that don’t necessarily want to come in and fight and throw down, they just want to be a part of the community – we get them to come in, they sit to the side and just talk shit to the other guys.
“It’s great, it’s had an amazing response so far.”
Starting in September of 2022, the program has steadily grown from having three or four attendee’s the first day of opening, to having a consistent list of returning community members who have found a location where they can turn up and feel free to be themselves, regardless of skill set or willingness to participate in the physical aspect.
For those who harbour ambitions to compete in MMA, the gym and its coaches have the tools ready to provide those who would like to pursue that opportunity.
Beyond the martial arts, Pendergast says that the Veterans MMA organisation is also active in the wider veteran’s community, often collaborating with other veteran charities at events in order to raise awareness for those who need it.
For the Veterans MMA charity itself, November saw their first fundraiser as an organisation go down with great success, providing a solid platform for regular events in the community for the future.
For Pendergast himself, martial arts and the team at Integrated MMA have played a vital part in putting him back on his own path to a better life after his military service.
Originally a Muay Thai and boxing practitioner from the age of sixteen, Pendergast gave it all up some years later in order to join the army. After completing his service, Pendergast found himself in need of direction after struggling mentally upon his return to civilian life.
“When I got out of the army, I came back and I actually had a lot of issues,” he said.
“I wasn’t fighting any more, I was doing a lot of other sports and trying to get my head right. But I was really struggling mentally.
“It wasn’t until I found this gym ‘Integrated’ that things actually started to go really well for me again. I started getting my confidence back, my head was good, everything just started to line up. I felt like a confident person again where for a while there, I was really struggling.
“I was talking to Rob one day and we came up with the idea that maybe this (Veterans MMA) might be a good thing. There was three or four ways that doing MMA really helped my head – especially the community that’s there. It just happened to be that the gym I went to was full of really cool, non-judgemental people.
“It’s turned out really well.”
Once the Veteran’s MMA charity was established, Pendergast took up a prominent role as the veteran program facilitator and continued his own training as a mixed martial artist. With the program advancing quickly and some participants showing eagerness to compete, Pendergast saw it fitting to enter into his own training camp and sign up for his first MMA fight, leading by example for the veterans he helps train.
“This fight (came about) because some of the guys do want to compete,” he said.
“I’ve done a lot of fight camps for boxing, but I’ve never done one for MMA. I don’t want to be the guy that’s coaching guys and telling them to do something that I’ve never done. So, it was kind of just a ‘lead from the front’ thing and go through a good fight camp.”
With a lot of buzz around the fight, the matchup itself against another veteran in Cole Smith has provided Pendergast with the perfect opportunity for anybody hoping to contribute to the Veterans MMA charity.
“Anyone that uses my fighter’s code, any money that I get through that for tickets will one-hundred percent go to the charity,” he said.
For anyone not attending Eternal 74, but still looking to contribute, you can make donations via the Veterans MMA website as well as navigate to any of the Veterans MMA social media platforms and contacts below to learn more.
Eternal 74 starts at 5:00pm AEST on March 11th, live from Southport Sharks on the Gold Coast. Tickets can be purchased at www.eternalmma.com for those wishing to attend the event.
