Quillan Salkilld Locked In For DWCS

OFFICIAL! Eternal MMA Lightweight Champion Quillan Salkilld (6-1) is locked in for Dana White’s Contender Series.

Following in the footsteps of previous Eternal champions, Perth’s Salkilld will be entering the Octagon with a six-fight win streak and two championship defenses to his name.

Salkilld’s MMA career started in 2018 at Eternal 37, and he ended his amateur apprenticeship in 2020 at Eternal 53 with a record of 8-3. Salkilld made his professional debut in 2021 at Eternal 56, where he eventually created a string of dominant fights, positioning himself as the number one lightweight in Australia, solidified by his ownership of the Eternal lightweight belt.

Already on the radar with an opportunity on the Road to UFC that didn’t eventuate in late 2023, Quillan Salkilld continued his reign in Australia with two more dominating championship bouts. We’re excited to see what Quillan has to offer in the next chapter of his career, and rest assured, the world will be watching the rise of this future MMA superstar.

Keep an eye out for future announcements regarding Quillan Salkilld’s DWCS fight and more.

Know Your Fighter: Annie Thatcher

Full Name:

Annie Thatcher

Age:

30

Where were you born:

Traralgon, Victoria

Where do you live:

Perth, WA

Which gym do you train out of:

LCA (Luistro Combat Academy) & ACSA (Australian Combat Sports Academy)

Who are your coaches:

Denis Kelly & Romel Luistro

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

Purple belt BJJ

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

I loved all sports growing up but was never very good at anything, dancing, netball, tennis, basketball, anything I could get into because I loved being active.

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:

I started training in Muay Thai and BJJ never with the intention to compete, just wanted a new hobbie. But I loved training so much, a few days a week turned into every day of the week, until I thought I might as well compete for fun. It wasn’t until after a few amateur fights and winning GAMMA worlds in Singapore it sunk in that I might be pretty good at MMA and should turn pro.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:

Other than seeing Quillan regularly. I love drilling and learning, I could drill and listen to what my coaches have to say all day. I don’t have a favourite session, I love all grappling and striking. My favourite thing is getting to spend time with people that love the same sport.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:

I don’t look very scary, just a typical white girl, so I think my greatest strength is that people underestimate me. I also think my greatest strengths are the ability to listen, learn, take feedback and implement new things into my fighting. I self reflect a lot, analyse, very focused on fight IQ and troubleshooting.

How would you describe your fighting style:

I started grappling and striking at the same time, and love them both equally, so my style is pretty well rounded and adaptable. I fight like I date, come on too strong, suffocate people, then end it quickly because I can’t be bothered putting in too much effort for a long time.

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA, it’s exciting, unpredictable, always evolving, has so many different aspects to it so it’s always interesting.

Who is your favourite athlete:

I don’t follow sports other than MMA, my favourite UFC fighter is Volk. I love Volk because he used to be a lot heavier when he played rugby and started training in MMA around the same age I did. So I can resonate with that having a weight loss journey and starting the sport pretty late in life. It’s nice to see someone’s journey have similarities to your own.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Favourite combat sports athletes in the whole WORLD Quillan Salkilld & Cody Haddon, the team comes first. Plus, they’re genuinely great people that help me a lot, they have the best worth ethic, and deserve great things.

What are your immediate and long term goals:

My only goal short and long term is to be happy, this sport makes me happy that’s why I do it. People get annoyed at me because I don’t have any specific goals like “get into the UFC” I just love to train and fight. It’s up to my manager Jasmin to sort out where it goes.

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

They can expect a fight that shows various skills and a lot of pressure, not afraid to take the fight anywhere. Also that I’ll probably bleed, even if I dominate in the first round I always somehow end up bleeding from stupid things like dragging my head on the cage.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I think there will be some fun striking exchanges, it’s two very determined girls that take their training very seriously, it think it will be a good display of how far WMMA has come in Australia and New Zealand.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Give me hugs, all the hugs. I love you all. I’m the luckiest girl in the world because of the people I get to have in my life.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:

Instagram – Anniethatchermma

Watch Annie Thatcher fight at Eternal MMA 84 on Friday May 24 live and exclusive via ufcfightpass.com

Know Your Fighter: Damian Volar

Full Name:

Damian Peter Volar

Age:

29

Where were you born:

Australia

Where do you live:

Salisbury, Adelaide, South Australia

Which gym do you train out of:

Element Martial Arts

Who are your coaches:

Matt ‘Fev’ Becker Dimitri ‘Zeus’ Zacharia

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

Purple Belt in BJJ #1 Ranked Am LHW in Australia/NZ #2 Ranked Am MW in Australia/NZ XFC Am LHW Champion x2 DFC Am MW/LHW Champion

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Australian Rules Football U9’s > Seniors Gridiron (American Football) 2012 > 2019

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:

In 2020 I changed Gyms and started training 6 days pw. In 2022 I quit my FT job to pursue fighting as a profession. Haven’t looked back since!

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:

My favourite aspect of training is becoming 1% better everyday. My favourite session is Sparring, getting to put together everything we learn into practice and fine tuning the skillset and game plans. Also enjoy my Sunday – Family Time

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:

My greatest strength as an athlete/fighter would be my Mindset, Fight IQ and ability to adapt on the fly.

How would you describe your fighting style:

Relentless Pressure Heavy Top Game

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA (UFC) of course is the passion but Gridiron (American Football) The NFL is stacked with talent and sheer freak athleticism.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Top 3: 1) Ray Lewis 2) Wayne Gretzky 3) Steven Bradbury

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipović from the old school days was always entertaining to watch, having grandparents from Croatia I felt a connection there. Prime Conor McGregor on the come up, not the come down. But I do have a soft spot for Dustin Poirier, one of the best to have never been (Undisputed Champion).

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Immediate Goals: Win Pro Debut, 1-0 Long Term Goals: UFC 👊🏼

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

When you see my name on a fight poster you can expect a dog fight, I won’t stop coming at you until one of us gets put away.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

Time shall tell but my hand will be raised & I’ll be leaving the cage victorious.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

See You At The Top! 🫡

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:

Instagram @honeybear_mma

Watch Damian Volar fight at Eternal MMA 84 on Friday May 24 live and exclusive via ufcfightpass.com

Know Your Fighter: Joseph Larcinese

Full Name:

Joseph Larcinese

Age:

25

Where were you born:

Australia

Where do you live:

Sydney

Which gym do you train out of:

Igor MMA

Who are your coaches:

Igor Breakenback Igor Praporshchikov Jacob Larcinese (Younger Brother) Joshua Culibao

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

Blue Belt in BJJ trying to get my blue belt at Igor mma still competed a lot in local bjj competitions with getting medals from white to purple (no-gi)

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Tennis all year in high school Video game nerd Rugby and Soccer when I was a kid

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:

started BJJ when I was 19 years of age. My brother and I started training mma 1 year before joining the gym. We Trained in our backyard learning all of our striking and wrestling (during covid). Then we joined Igor mma 2 years ago and had my first mma fight within 4 weeks. From the very beginning I left my career/job which I finished uni for to train to become a professional fighter.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:

My favourite aspect of training is the hard grind when camps begin. Im not a big fan of out of camp training. My favourite sessions are when my younger brother Jacob tries to make me give up and break me.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:

My greater strength as a fighter is my ability to perform in the fight and put on a show for the people.

How would you describe your fighting style:

I bring that old school grappling energy in my stand up

What is your favourite sport and why:

I hate sports I find them boring to watch. My favourite thing to do is weights training. Ranging from calisthenics, body building and strength training.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Khabib Nurmagomedov

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Currently my favourite is Money Moicano and Dricus du plessis but khabib brought me into the sport. So one of those three at the moment.

What are your immediate and long term goals:

My goals right now is to try stay as active as possible and to keep putting on exciting fights for the people. My long term goals is to make this an actual career and to be the best.

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

If fans see Joseph “Big Sexy” Larcinese on a fight poster they should expect big knockouts, big submissions and big fights. I always try my best to bring a big fight for the people’s entertainment.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

This fight will not go to the decision. One of us is either going to get knocked out or subbed.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thank you for all the support. I never understood why people said this until now. It truly does help when you have people supporting you as simple as wishing you good luck.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:

joe_larch98

Watch Joseph Larcinese fight at Eternal MMA 84 on Friday May 24 live and exclusive via ufcfightpass.com

Know Your Fighter: Ryan Leavey

Full Name:

Ryan Leavey

Age:

23

Where were you born:

Penrith, NSW

Where do you live:

Sunshine Coast

Which gym do you train out of:

Tribal MMA

Who are your coaches:

Paul & Connor Birch

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

Purple Belt in BJJ

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

I played Rugby League

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:

When I was 17 after my first am fight I always had the dream of the UFC and what not as everybody does but, Probably not until I turned 21 I thought I could possibly turn this into a Career I’ve definitely got a long way to go before that stage but it’s obviously still the dream!

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:

Everybody loves sparring night but I just love and enjoy being around like minded people with similar goals to myself and getting away from the grind of everyday life. Banter and training with good mates is definitely the best part and if you’re not enjoying yourself why would you do it right?

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:

My massive Biceps and my spirit I will keep going until the wheels fall out literally

How would you describe your fighting style:

More of a striking style but I believe I’m starting to become a well rounded Martial Artist

What is your favourite sport and why:

Besides MMA, I have always loved my Rugby League! GO PARRA

Who is your favourite athlete:

Nathan Hindmarsh & Jarryd Hayne

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Robert Whittaker

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Immediate goal is to win this next fight whatever it takes ! And long term to become a Successful Professional Athlete !

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

Fireworks, I believe my fights are always entertaining win or lose and you should always be tuning in to watch!

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I believe it will be a banger and neither of us will be taking many backward steps!

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thanks for your support! It definitely doesn’t go unnoticed and I appreciate all of you

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:

Instagram @rleavey_

Watch Ran Deng fight at Eternal MMA 83 on Saturday March 16th live and exclusive via eternalmma.com

Know Your Fighter: Jake Pitfield

Full Name:

Jake Pitfield

Age:

30

Where were you born:

Killarney, Ontario, Canada

Where do you live:

Sunshine Coast

Which gym do you train out of:

Combat Lab

Who are your coaches:

Joel Szepesvary, Ty Duncan, Hank king

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

Bjj purple belt

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Ice hockey

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:

In 2019 when I started training at combat lab.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:

Honestly I love it all, I love progressing and mixing all the pieces together. It’s what makes mma so sweet.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:

I think I’m good everywhere but mixing it together along with the cardio is my biggest strength.

How would you describe your fighting style:

I think I just have an mma style, using pieces of everything and putting it together. Trying to be unpredictable in the way I fight.

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA for sure, I love it. Craziest sport in the world.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Too many to choose right now I follow so many.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Anderson Silva in his prime was always my favourite Also GSP being the Canadian GOAT

What are your immediate and long term goals:

My immediate goal is to win this fight in impressive fashion! And just continue one fight at a time and see where this takes me.

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

Win or lose it’s going to be a fun fight

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I see my self mixing in striking and wresting to keep my opponent guessing what I’ll do next and finish him where ever the opportunity presents itself.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Appreciate all the support and can’t wait to put on a sick performance for all of you! Love you guys

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:

Insta -@jakepitfield

Watch Jake Pitfield fight at Eternal MMA 83 on Saturday March 16th live and exclusive via eternalmma.com

Know Your Fighter: Isaac Small

Full Name:

Isaac Small

Age:

22

Where were you born:

Brisbane

Where do you live:

Brisbane

Which gym do you train out of:

Ironfist

Who are your coaches:

Daniel Bell, Simon, Mal Van

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

White belt 4 stripes

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Football for 15 years Rugby for 4 years Downhill skating for 5 years

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:

I started to take mma seriously about 2 years ago but have taken time off to work hard on my grappling.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:

Sparring is definitely my favorite day of the week. Nothing like having an opponent or training partner in front of you to practice new combos or techniques that I might use in an actual fight

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:

My power and striking.

How would you describe your fighting style:

An explosive striker who can throw fancy cool stuff but also fight like a hunter ready to finish the fight.

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA is my favorite sport purely for the fact of it incorporates all fighting styles into one code. Means I can mix styles into my fighting style taking bits and pieces from various martial arts.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Micheal Jordan and Kobe Bryant have always been a big inspiration in sports and life for me to keep pushing and be the best I can.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Adesanya and Cory Sandhagen are my favorite just because there style is so effortless

What are your immediate and long term goals:

This years goals is to stay focused and fight as many times as possible getting much needed experience. My goals are to win as many as possible and potentially see if a pro debut could happen in 2025

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

Explosive striking with fast hard power. Good takedown defense

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

Round 2 tko via right hand. I expect him to try and pour it on then when the striking isn’t working to try and take me down.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thank you to everyone who supports me and I hope you’re ready for a great show.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:

@isaac__small

Watch Isaac Small fight at Eternal MMA 83 on Saturday March 16th live and exclusive via eternalmma.com

Eternal MMA X Fight HQ Partner Announcement

Premium Australian martial arts retailer Fight HQ and Australian MMA juggernaut Eternal MMA have joined forces to support MMA athletes with the largest range of Mixed Martial Arts Equipment in Australia.

With this industry leading partnership Fight HQ becomes the official Eternal MMA athlete Equipment Partner & Official Eternal MMA Retail Partner providing apparel, equipment and prizes to athletes competing on Eternal MMA events.

All athletes competing on Eternal events will now receive a Fight HQ equipment pack before every event making it easier than ever before to prepare for a fight.

Eternal MMA athletes will now receive a minimum of:
– Fight HQ gear Bag
– MMA competition gloves
– Hand wrap tape & gauze for their fight
– Fight shorts
– $50 Fight HQ voucher

Fight HQ will also be supplying $200 vouchers for performance winners at every Eternal MMA event:

– Fight Of The Night (2 x $200 Vouchers)
– KO Of The Night
– Submission Of The Night
– Performance Of The Night

All courtesy of Fight HQ

Eternal MMA Founder & CEO Cam O’Neill had this to say about the partnership.

“I am very excited to announce this partnership between two of the heaviest hitters in Australian Combat Sports. The Fight HQ and Eternal MMA values are aligned when it comes to making sure that combat sports athletes in Australia are supported through their martial arts journey. We believe sports are for everyone, but unfortunately competing in sport usually comes at a price and we are very humbled to be able to help contribute towards lowering that cost of entry for MMA athletes on Eternal MMA events via the team at Fight HQ.”

Fight HQ Founder & Co-Owner Nick Atkins was also excited about the partnerships potential:

“One of our key focusses is to assist in the ongoing development of combat sports throughout Australia and to add value to the martial arts industry. 
We are excited about supporting the upcoming & elite athletes competing in Eternal MMA, and following their journey to the next level of international competition. I believes the professionalism, business model and values of the Eternal MMA Team align heavily with the FightHQ family.”

The partnership kicks off at this weekends sold out Eternal MMA 83, if you dont have a ticket catch all the fighters equipped by Fight HQ Live & Exclusive on UFC Fightpass on Saturday night from 8pm AEST

https://ufcfightpass.com
https://fighthq.com
https://eternalmma.com

Know Your Fighter: Ran Deng

Full Name:

Ran Deng

Age:

23

Where were you born:

Egypt

Where do you live:

Springfield, Ipswich

Which gym do you train out of:

NTG Fight & Fitness

Who are your coaches:

Nugget McNaught, Alvaro Navarro, Marcelo Balthazar da Silveira, Kalob Gray

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

White Belt BJJ

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Athletics, Basketball, Soccer, Rugby

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:

I took Martial arts seriously as a hobby in 2021 and began taking it seriously in 2023 after having 3 kickboxing fights and 2 mma fights.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:

My favourite aspect of training is learning new techniques and applying them in real situations. Favourite session is Wednesday night sparring.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:

My length, speed, intelligence and adaptability.

How would you describe your fighting style:

Master of range! General of destruction!

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA!!! Because it’s the most unpredictable sport in the world. Anything can happens.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Adesanya, LeBron, Nadal

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

2018/19 Adesanya, Anderson Silva 2006/07, McGregor 2015/16. Can’t choose, all elite guys.

What are your immediate and long term goals:

To be the best martial artist in the country, the world… then the universe.

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

They should expect the unexpected

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I see myself being too sharp on the feet, my opponent will try to wrestle and my anti- wrestling holds up. I then get a late finish.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thank you for all the love and support. It means the world.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:

@ransrealityntg

Watch Ran Deng fight at Eternal MMA 83 on Saturday March 16th live and exclusive via

https://eternalmma.com

Know Your Fighter: Ethan Mitchell

Full Name:

Ethan Mitchell

Age:

21

Where were you born:

Brisbane

Where do you live:

Brisbane

Which gym do you train out of:

Team Compton

Who are your coaches:

Steve & Eliot Compton Dom Marfan Tom Nolan Blair Bretag Jayden Binnie

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

Purple belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Martial arts, started when I was 10.

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:

It was always a hobby. Once I was in year 10 doing it before and after school everyday and weekends I think that’s when it changed to potentially something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:

Learning, I love learning all there is to know about martial arts. In every session there’s something to learn so I can’t choose a favourite.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:

I think the biggest thing is my unorthodox style in striking. Which comes from learning everything I can. I love any and all striking.

How would you describe your fighting style:

I would say it’s a combination of traditional arts. However, everyone else says it’s just unorthodox.

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA, it’s the strategy, it’s the grit, it’s the passion that everyone involved has. It’s just an excellent atmosphere to be around and apart of. Whether or watching it with friends and participating.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Andy Hug

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Andy Hug

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Immediate goals are just to compete pretty regularly and train as much as I can. As for long term, to just compete and build myself to point where I can be comfortable train everyday.

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

Kicking, a lot of people who know me, know me because of my kicks and striking game.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

TKO or KO through strikes

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

It’s an absolute pleasure to show case what this sport is all about! I hope you enjoy my fights.

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:

Instagram: @ethanthekane

Watch Ethan Mitchell fight live and exclusive at

http://www.eternalmma.com