Know Your Fighter: Kyle Higginbotham

Full Name:

Kyle Higginbotham

Age:

25

Where were you born:

Mildura

Where do you live:

Brisbane

Which gym do you train out of:

Team Compton Training Centre

Who are your coaches:

Steve and Elliot Compton

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

White Belt BJJ 2nd Degree TKD BB

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

AFL Football

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

Started MMA casually when I was about 20yo to get more access to sparring partners to compliment my striking in my small town. Committed to it more seriously at 23yo

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

Love our technical/ experimental sessions with head Coach Steve. It’s great to feel like the team is consistently improving and coming up with new concepts for MMA

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

My unorthodox striking and physical strength

How would you describe your fighting style:

Entertaining

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA and Muay Thai

Who is your favourite athlete:

.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Brad Riddell

What are your immediate and long term goals:

To be as active as possible in fighting. And push myself and career as far as possible

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

A performance

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

An absolute banger

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

I appreciate everyone that’s been Involved in my martial arts journey up to this point. Let’s go

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

Instagram: @kyleolympia_

Watch Kyle Higginbotham fight at Eternal MMA 88 on Saturday, September 14

Know Your Fighter: Ethan Kratzman

Full Name:

Ethan kratzmann

Age:

22

Where were you born:

Toowoomba

Where do you live:

Toowoomba

Which gym do you train out of:

Team Compton

Who are your coaches:

Tom Nolan, Elliot Compton

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

White belt

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Played rugby league for the Toowoomba valleys roosters from u12 to seniors

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

I started training under Brandon Spain early 2022 then began to train out of Compton aswell February of 2023

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

The slow progression, the fact that nothing beats consistency and good work ethic

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

My control on the ground

How would you describe your fighting style:

I’d describe myself as a mixed martial artist

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA, purely from how primal it is

Who is your favourite athlete:

Justin Gaethje

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Justin Gaethje

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Immediate goal is to win on Saturday, Long term is to go pro

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

An exciting fight, followed with my hand being raised

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I see myself being too much for him to handle, I see him quitting

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Love yous all

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

Instagram is @ethan__joe

Watch Ethan Kratzman fight at Eternal MMA 88 on Saturday, September 14

Know Your Fighter: Damian Volar

Full Name:

Damian Peter Volar

Age:

30

Where were you born:

Adelaide, South Australia

Where do you live:

Adelaide, South Australia

Which gym do you train out of:

Element Martial Arts

Who are your coaches:

Matt “Fev” Becker James “Zeus” Zacharia

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

BJJ Purple Belt Judo Blue Belt

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Australian Rules Football American Football (Gridiron)

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

3 years ago (2021)

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

Sparring, closest form of live action.

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

My Will to push and fight on through anything.

How would you describe your fighting style:

Car Crash (demolition derby style)

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA – Closest thing to pure combat violence and artistry

Who is your favourite athlete:

Wayne Gretzky

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Just win & keep winning

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

🩸 Blood & Honey 🍯

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

Little game of Cat & Mouse. But there’s gonna be a Dawg in the cage.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

See y’all on the other side 🫡

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

@honeybear_mma

Watch Damian Volar fight at Eternal MMA 88 on Saturday, September 14

Know Your Fighter: Jake Pitfield

Full Name:

Jake “Face Off” Pitfield

Age:

30

Where were you born:

Killarney, Ontario , Canada

Where do you live:

Coolum Beach Sunshine Coast

Which gym do you train out of:

Combat Lab

Who are your coaches:

Joel Szepesvary

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

Purple – bjj

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

I was always into extreme sports like snowboarding, skateboarding, biking, etc

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

About 6-7 years ago when I moved to Australia and found Combat Lab

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

I love it all.

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

I think my technique and cardio set me apart.

How would you describe your fighting style:

My style is well rounded, I like to use all the tools.

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA, most exciting sport to me.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Probably Max Holloway

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Max Holloway

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Just taking it one fight at a time.

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

Expect an exciting fight, win or lose I’ll be leaving it all in there.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I see myself out working my opponent and breaking him as the fight goes on. Round 2-3 finish.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

All the works been done, so sit back and enjoy the show.

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

Insta – @jakepitfield

Watch Jake Pitfield fight at Eternal MMA 88 on Saturday, September 14

Know Your Fighter: Isaac Small

Full Name:

Isaac Small

Age:

23

Where were you born:

Brisbane

Where do you live:

Brisbane

Which gym do you train out of:

Ironfist

Who are your coaches:

Daniel Bell Mal Van

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

White belt jujitsu Muay thai blackshirt

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Played football (soccer) for 15 years and then played rugby union for 3 years. I also played lots of basketball in high school.

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

I started to take mma seriously pretty much as soon as Covid finished. It just consumed all my time and thinking and was all I wanted to do so I spent lots and lots of hours in the gym trying to get as good as possible. Then had my first fight and here we are.

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

Sparring is probably my favorite. No better feeling then trying out new moves you’ve done on the pads that week or try some cool new YouTube combo or move that I’ve seen.

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

I feel like my greatest strengths are how explosive and well I move around setting up the big ko power shots.

How would you describe your fighting style:

Exciting stand up who’s explosive ready to find a finish.

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA is obviously my favorite sport because there’s just nothing else like it and it truly is the hardest greatest competition you can do. But basketball is a close 2nd been following the nba for years now.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Micheal Jordan and Kobe Bryant are definitely some of my favorite athletes just their hard work and discipline to get better is so awesome to watch and hear.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Max Holloway, Dan hooker, Volk and Adasanya.

What are your immediate and long term goals:

My immediate goals are to stay focused on the upcoming fight and to make sure I’m as sharp as I can be. My long term goal is to make it all the way to the ufc on day and get paid to do what I love.

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

High pace action with lots of cool exciting shots

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I’m expecting a bit of a war and I’m going to find the finish.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thank you to everyone that has supported me I appreciate all the messages and all the love it means a lot.

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

Find my instagram @isaac_small

Watch Isaac Small fight at Eternal MMA 88 on Saturday, September 14

Know Your Fighter: Luke Dally

Full Name:

Luke Tremaine Dally

Age:

28

Where were you born:

Ballarat, victoria

Where do you live:

Ballarat, Victoria

Which gym do you train out of:

Infinite MMA

Who are your coaches:

John M Campbell (mma/head coach) Nick Monkton (S&C coach)

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

Brown belt in BJJ

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

AFL

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

2017 after my first couple of amateur fights

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

Favourite aspect of training would be the fact that there is always something to learn. Favourite session would be sparring.

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

My greatest strengths would be my gas tank, my jab and my grappling especially my back control.

How would you describe your fighting style:

Well rounded and technical

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA because it’s the most pure sport in terms of bringing a primal part of us.

Who is your favourite athlete:

George “rush” st Pierre (GSP)

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

GSP

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Immediate is to solidify myself as a top prospect in Australia. Long term is to become a world champion.

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

A technical masterclass and high fight IQ.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I see my upcoming fight with Martinez being a coming out party for myself as a true prospect in Australian mma.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Remember the name.

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

@diamonddallymma on Instagram

Watch Luke Dally fight at Eternal MMA 88 on Saturday, September 14

Know Your Fighter: Dario Strbac

Full Name:

Dario Strbac

Age:

28

Where were you born:

Germersheim Germany

Where do you live:

Gold Coast

Which gym do you train out of:

CMBT TRAINING CENTRE

Who are your coaches:

Miles Muecke, Jesse Yada, Brentin Mumford, James Sargison.

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

Blue Belt BJJ

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Soccer seriously But almost everything growing up

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

16

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

Routine and discipline Love turning the scariest hardest sessions into the ones I look forward to.

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

I don’t know to be honest. I guess my commitment to the path…

How would you describe your fighting style:

I try to not have one style. Just having the right tools for the right jobs.

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA. It’s a little bit of a sport but ultimately we are fighting. There’s nothing else like it. But I’m a bit of a sports lover in general

Who is your favourite athlete:

Michael Jordan Cristiano Ronaldo Alex Perreira The outliers in their fields

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

ATM it’s hard to go against Alex Perreira at this moment. There’s not anyone like him

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Win this fight in a dominant and spectacular fashion, have some rest and fight in November. Go pro before 30

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

Chaos, excitement and beauty.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I see me being up for wherever the fight takes place and being one step ahead of my opponent.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thank you all for your support over the years, it definitely does take a tribe.

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

@strbacdario

Watch Dario Strbac fight at Eternal MMA 88 on Saturday, September 14

Know Your Fighter: John Fraser

Full Name:

John-Martin Fraser

Age:

32

Where were you born:

Wales

Where do you live:

Sunny coast Australia

Which gym do you train out of:

Team Compton & vice training centre

Who are your coaches:

Steve Compton Elliot Compton Ryan doyle

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

Bjj brown belt

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Rugby union

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

When I moved to Australia I started training with the Noke brothers and it became my life pretty quickly. When I made the move to middle weight I started seeing it as a career.

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

Sparring days where the boys get to have a good dig

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

I’ve been told it’s my vocabulary

How would you describe your fighting style:

Aggressive

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA because anything can happen, a fight can be won or lost many different ways at any second

Who is your favourite athlete:

alex pereirra

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

alex pereirra because he’s got such a cool story and he’s a gangster, takes massive career risks and he’s pulled off some impressive shit because of it

What are your immediate and long term goals:

My immediate goal is to get my hand raised after fighting stoddart, win the eternal belt Back and get signed by the UFC

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

An exciting fight

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I’ll get it done in one

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thanks so much for all the support from everyone. Thanks to all my sponsors that have jumped on to back me for this fight, it’s really helped get me in a good spot to be the best version of myself fighting next week

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

@johnfraser92

Watch John Fraser fight at Eternal MMA 88 on Saturday, September 14

Know Your Fighter: Jaye Hyland

Full Name:

Jaye Anthony Hyland

Age:

19

Where were you born:

Armadale

Where do you live:

Mandurah

Which gym do you train out of:

Mandurah combat sports academy

Who are your coaches:

Marcus Mckeever Aaron Robinson

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

Im a blue belt in bjj

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Nothing really played afl for a 2 seasons but was never really any good aha

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

I only really started taking it seriously maybe a year and half ago but only been training for just over 2 years so was pretty soon into it

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

Favourite session is hard to say because I love it all, every session and aspect of mma brings their own little something to the table so I’m not sure

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

I’m not too sure still so fresh into the game but I’ve got alright boxing and maybe bjj not to sure once I have a few more fights I’m sure I’ll find out but I imagine it will always be changing as i evolve as a martial artists

How would you describe your fighting style:

Pretty boxing heavy and I like to grapple but never really been able to show case it in a fight

What is your favourite sport and why:

Mma there’s just nothin like it

Who is your favourite athlete:

I have no idea combat sports athletes I would say mike Tyson just got a cool story and he’s was an animal just a scary scary man

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Mike tyson

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Just wanna stay healthy keep training and improving my skills and maybe one day I could live off training and fighting that would be the long term goal but I think that’s the long term goal for nearly anyone that fights mma

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

Hopefully something entertaining, would love to be that guy people get excited to watch a lot of finish’s and good fights but still got a long way ahead before any of that still just at the beginning

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I’m not sure it’s hard to say but in his last fight he was non stop coming forward so maybe alot of the fight will be in the pocket

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Don’t really know aha but will see uses all when I get home so will tell uses all then

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

Instagram : Jayehyland_

Watch Jaye Hyland fight at Eternal MMA 88 on Saturday, September 14

Know Your Fighter: Matthew Iann

Full Name:

Matthew Iann

Age:

23

Where were you born:

Blacktown Western Sydney

Where do you live:

Blacktown

Which gym do you train out of:

Australian Top Team

Who are your coaches:

Suman & Ashkan mokhtarian

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

Blue belt BJJ

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Started playing soccer when I was 4 years old and transitioned into kickboxing/Muay Thai when I was 12.

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

Had my first amateur K1 fight when I was 14 then first MMA fight when I was 18. I have always known I was going to take this on as a profession.

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

I have always loved K1 style training. But training sujitsu with the Suman has given me the confidence to grapple with anyone.

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

I live and breathe fighting. I am a pure athlete I do anything I can to become a better fighter.

How would you describe your fighting style:

Unstoppable. I am clean and calculated but I have the dog in me ready for deep waters.

What is your favourite sport and why:

I am a fan of a lot of sports but nothing more I enjoy watching then MMA

Who is your favourite athlete:

Lionel Messi. My background is Argentinian and his story undoubtedly makes him the greatest of all time

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Wanderlei silva I would love if soccer kicks were still around.

What are your immediate and long term goals:

5-0 on the Australian regional pro scene UFC debut 11-0 UFC world title 12-0 UFC world champion

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

High pace. Heart of a lion. A bloody war.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I will frustrate him and he will pressure right into one my KO shots

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

I will represent my family name, hometown, gym with pride. IANN BLACKTOWN ATT

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

Instagram handle: Mattyiann

Watch Matty Iann fight at Eternal MMA 88 on Saturday, September 14