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

Know Your Fighter: Dom Aston

Full Name:

Dominic Aston

Age:

23

Where were you born:

Sydney

Where do you live:

Gold Coast

Which gym do you train out of:

Pumma

Who are your coaches:

Vincent Perry & Vincente Cavalcanti

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

Blue belt and 5-1 mma record

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:

2023 I started treating mma less of a hobby and became more of an obsession or career.

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

Wrestling, hurts the most and always leave the session completely wrecked

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

My wrestling has become one of my greatest weapons since my last loss.

How would you describe your fighting style:

High pressure, stand and bang, no backwards steps

What is your favourite sport and why:

BJJ is my favourite sport of the individual martial arts as I really enjoy the complexity of the game and how there is no such thing as a punchers chance when it comes to bjj it’s purely down to who has the most skill and heart.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Hopefully not too soon to say this but I admire Illia Topuria style and I try replicate it myself in the gym and will try in the cage aswell.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Currently Khamzat Chimaev for his style and for getting to where he got so quick.

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Immediate goals is go pro asap, hoping this to be one of if not the last amateur fights and start getting paid.

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

FOTN and non stop action, I don’t take breaks in the ring.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

Other guy quitting when he realises I ain’t slowing down

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

😘😘

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

Instagram: @dominic.aston.1 , or in the Eternal cage

Watch Dom Aston fight live and exclusive on Saturday March 16th

http://www.eternalmma.com

Know Your Fighter: Mizuho Matsuyama

Full Name:

Mizuho Matsuyama

Age:

29

Where were you born:

Japan

Where do you live:

Australia

Which gym do you train out of:

CMBT

Who are your coaches:

Miles Muecke

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

Purple

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Kickboxing over 20 amateur fights

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

Started mma at CKB for W2W

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

Sparring cause it’s mma

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

Striking

How would you describe your fighting style:

Striker

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA cause I love this sport

Who is your favourite athlete:

Me

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Me

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Win and become champion

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

idk

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

Just hard work

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thank you for support see you soon

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

Instagram: @mizuho_matsuyama

Watch Mizuho Live & Exclusive on UFC Fightpass on Saturday March 16th

www.ufcfightpass.com

Know Your Fighter: John Martin Fraser

Full Name:

John Martin Fraser

Age:

31

Where were you born:

Wales

Where do you live:

Sunshine Coast, Queensland

Which gym do you train out of:

Ignite MMA & Vice Training Centre

Who are your coaches:

Ryan Dunstan, Ryan Doyle & Kyle Noke

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

Bjj Brown belt when on top & a 2 stripe blue belt when on bottom.

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

I did kung fu from a young age then started Rugby union, I was a big fat bastard, that couldn’t catch, pass or tackle very well so I was left with scrummaging and rucking at tight head position. I found I enjoyed fighting on or off the field more than rugby so left that there and started training boxing on and off instead.

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

When I moved to Australia I got introduced to bjj and fell in love with it instantly, not long after I started training with the Noke brothers and trained everyday from the off. Few weeks in I started doing their striking/mma classes and it took over my life in the best way possible. I was dedicated like a professional very early other than being dedicated in my diet. It wasn’t until I became more educated with diet years later and dropped to middleweight that I realised I’m pretty good at this.

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

I love it all but if I had to pick one session it would have to be mma sparring day. It’s the closest thing to replicating a real fight where I get to put it all together and link all the disciplines.

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

I’m very coachable, too many people get shown or told things whether it be a technique or a strategy to implement or drill to practice and it goes in one ear and out the other and they go back to playing their A game and do what their comfortable doing. I get obsessed with learning and adding to my game constantly and if my coach tells me to do something it’s done until I get better at it.

How would you describe your fighting style:

Aggressive and in your face.

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA. It’s the ultimate combat sport, the only thing would make it better is allow headbutts, I’d love to have an mma fight and be able to knock someone out with headbutts in their guard

Who is your favourite athlete:

Someone like Mike Perry would be up there, he’s a mad cunt.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Probably Mike Tyson, I spent so much time watching YouTube videos of Tyson knocking people out and training when I was growing up. He’s one of a kind

What are your immediate and long term goals:

My immediate goal is perform to the best of my ability on March 16th, beat Ben Johnston, get my hand raised and my long term goal is have a successful UFC career.

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

An exciting fight with either a quick finish or an 5 round war and a questionable post fight interview.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I dont focus on the outcomes or predictions, im going out there to perform and winning will be the by product of that, I’m prepared for the fight to go anywhere. You’ve got two guys at the top of the division who have trained hard to go in and take each others health away from the other. Let’s see who’s successful in doing that.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Everyone coming to watch, tuning in at home from Australia or Wales, I’m forever grateful.

Also thanks to my sponsors, I would not be where I am without you guys.

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

Instagram: @johnfraser92

Watch John Martin Fraser defend his Eternal MMA Australian Middleweight Title exclusively Live on https://ufcfightpass.com

Know Your Fighter: Yusuke Sato

Full Name:

Yusuke Sato

Age:

25

Where were you born:

Kumamoto, Japan

Where do you live:

Gold Coast, Australia

Which gym do you train out of:

CMBT Training Centre

Who are your coaches:

Miles Muecke & Brentin Mumford

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

Karate Black Belt

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Karate, Judo and Baseball

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

Only when I came to Australia about 18 months ago.

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

Everything is fresh to me, MMA Training, living and speaking a second language, even the air too, so I love my life.

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

Obviously striking since born is useful to MMA and I reckon Living in an environment different from the one you were born in is not easy, but it makes you mentally stronger.

How would you describe your fighting style:

Not just a Karate Kid anymore !!

What is your favourite sport and why:

I love KARATE, JUDO, MMA and surf too. I feel happy because my pulse increases.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Ichiro Suzuki

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Israel Adesanya & Kyoji Horiguchi

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Eternal Champion and then World Champion in MMA. To create my own life through martial arts and become an athlete who can supply good energy to the world.

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

A wonderful knockout.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

If you can create your own waves, you can win any match, I will dominate the space.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

I’ll show my everything for you guys. Hopefully you guys pretty much enjoy my fight!

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

Instagram: @yusukeossjboy

Know Your Fighter: Jack Hayes

Full Name:

Jack Hayes

Age:

30

Where were you born:

Adelaide

Where do you live:

Seaford, South Australia

Which gym do you train out of:

M16 Fight & Fitness

Who are your coaches:

Myles Simpson for MMA, Declan Moody for BJJ, Adam Collet & Tayla Ford for wrestling

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:

Grew up playing footy and tennis

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

I started training at Ringworks in 2012 doing Muay Thai casually to get fit with no intentions of fighting.
After about 2 years I ended up training 5 days a week and started doing mma and had my first amateur mma fight in 2016.
I had a terrible amateur career going 0/5 and in 2019 I thought fuck it. If I’m going to do this I’ll have a crack professionally and went on to win my professional debut.
Coming into 2024 I’m currently 2/2 as a professional and looking to get the ball rolling for a big year.

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

My favourite session of the week is wrestling, easily the hardest and most demanding aspect of mma.

I enjoy it for the simple reason of hard work, there’s no places to rest in wrestling like there is in jits. It’s just a constant chain between attacking and defending.

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

I believe my greatest strengths as a fighter are my wrestling, striking power and decision making.
I might not be the tallest, fastest or even strongest but I believe my ability to choose when to mix my striking in with my wrestling makes me a dangerous fight for anyone.

How would you describe your fighting style:

I’d describe my style as a brawler/ wrestler.

What is your favourite sport and why:

It would have to be MMA because of how exiting it is to watch and the fact there’s so many variables with it. Martial arts is the only sport where you could be whooping ass for 14 minutes and your opponent lands one good punch and you loose. You don’t really get that vulnerability in other sports

Who is your favourite athlete:

Favourite active athlete would hands down be Alexander Volkanovski.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Alexander Volkanovski / Frankie Edgar

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Immediate goals is simple to have an active year.

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

They should expect and exiting fight with a good mix of striking and grappling.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

See me getting the finish within the 3 rounds. Either submission or KO

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thanks everyone for the support, always appreciate it. Can’t wait to go out there and do my thing!

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

Instagram: @hayzelnut6

Know Your Fighter: Dallas Denniss

Dallas Denniss, Eternal MMA

Full Name:

Dallas Denniss

Age:

25

Where were you born:

Darwin, Australia

Where do you live:

Sunshine Coast, Australia

Which gym do you train out of:

Combat Lab Martial Arts

Who are your coaches:

Joel Szepesvary

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

Blue Belt in Jiu Jitsu

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

I grew up doing various martial arts like taekwondo and kyokushin karate but never stuck to it as a kid. I was pretty athletic growing up and tried out heaps of different sports on and off like basketball, AFL and rugby but never stuck to them.

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

Not until my 3rd armature fight. People would always ask me what I wanted to get out of fighting, why I did it and where I wanted to go with it. I would always reply with “I’m just taking it as it comes and having fun” but now I’m fully aware of my potential and I’m committed to becoming one of the best.

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

my favourite session is the strength and conditioning circuit, I love the challenge and the pain that comes with it, I love the feeling of having to push the extra mile to get the work done.

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

my dedication to the sport and my training. I pride myself on being able to train while everyone else is resting on a Sunday. While people sleep in I’m getting better and mastering my craft.

How would you describe your fighting style:

im not just a striker, a grappler or a wrestler. I’m a mixed martial artist and that what i train to be. I want to be able to stand with the best, wrestle with the best and roll with the best. This is a never ending journey of mastery.

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA because there’s a never ending amount of information and skills to learn. You’ll never run out of things to learn and techniques to practice. It’s a life long journey that will never get boring.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Georges St-Pierre

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

It’s always changing but as of now Retired – GSP Active – Corey Sandhagen

What are your immediate and long term goals:

I want to become a complete mixed martial artist and have no weaknesses anywhere in my game. I want to fight as much as I can while I have youth on my side and eventually become a multi division champion.

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

They should expect fast paced, controlled chaos. A fight full of highlights.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I believe wherever the fight plays out, that’s where I beat him. I don’t think he’s on my level

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

I hope I can put on a show for the fans and also do my family and mates proud, the people closest to me know how much i put into these fight camps so thank you to those who are by my side and supporting me all the way

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

Instagram: @daldimadome

Facebook: Dallas Denniss

Know Your Fighter: Nikita Laptsevich

Nikita Laptsevich Eternal MMA Gold Coast

Full Name:

Nikita Laptsevich

Age:

21

Where were you born:

Minsk, Belarus

Where do you live:

Gold Coast, Australia

Which gym do you train out of:

Fight Club Jiu Jitsu / Black Dragon Kai

Who are your coaches:

Gavin Hain, Daniel Lima, Geordie Lavers-Mcbain

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

Purple belt in BJJ

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

A bit of everything, however I didn’t particularly feel a passion towards most sports. Riding BMX at the skatepark was something I did pretty much everyday as a teen and still do sometimes.

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

I trained karate for 2 years starting at the age of 7, then proceeded to not parttake in any martial arts until I turned 15 when I started training mma as a profession since day one. Since my first day I wanted to compete in everything from bjj to wrestling to kickboxing, but the main goal was always mma.

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

I can’t choose, I love to submit someone as much as I like to take them down and as much as I like to throw strikes at them. My training doesn’t always focus on what’s best for mma, I will often train bjj in a sport bjj style, playing on bottom and using techniques not recommended in mma. Same with muay thai, I will have a narrow stance and think like a thai fighter. I love the arts and want to explore them individual as well as mixing them for mma.

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

My grappling, however I have technical striking which I haven’t shown yet in the cage, hopefully I get to be more confident with it soon.

How would you describe your fighting style:

I want to be as well-rounded as possible, I want to take someone down if I want to and I want to kick someone in the head if I want to. I want to be a fighter like Demetrious Johnson, GSP, Alex Volkanovski, Jon Jones etc. I don’t want to have a strong part of my game, I want to be able to mix the martial arts better than anyone.

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA, there no other sport in the world where anything can happen at anytime. How unpredictable it is is what makes it exciting.

Who is your favourite athlete:

Max Holloway, Chingiz Allazov, Giorgio Petrosyan, Demetrious Johnson.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Max Holloway, Chingiz Allazov, Giorgio Petrosyan, Demetrious Johnson.

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Improve my confidence with every fight and perform at my best. Eventually I will be a champion in the UFC and ONE fc.

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

I always aim for a finish, I never go into a fight with the mentality to go to decision.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

I want to beat him in the stand up and also be the first take him down and keep him down, he’s good at getting back up but he’s never faced a grappler like me. I also intend to strike more confidently than my last fight and won’t complain if I can get a ko.

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thank you for supporting me and thanks to my teammate and coaches for being patient with me and for all your efforts. I love ya’ll.

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

Instagram: @nikitalaptsevichsucks

Know Your Fighter: Dom Mar Fan

Full Name:

Dominic Mar Fan

Age:

23

Where were you born:

Brisbane

Where do you live:

Brisbane

Which gym do you train out of:

Team Compton

Who are your coaches:

Steve Compton

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

Brown belt BJJ

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Played football (soccer)

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

Stepped into an mma gym for the first time at 17 years old and immediately became obsessed and training twice a day. By the age of 20 I was training 3 times per day.

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

I like breaking down the tiny details of a technique or sequence. I’m a bit of a nerd for mma. Wether that’s watching tape and having coffee or hitting pads with coach Steve and extracting every crucial detail from him, I always thrive in the endless pursuit of perfection as a martial artist.

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

I believe my grappling is world class, I’m confident I would hang with the top mma grapplers in the world. I also believe that my timing and shootboxing understanding is better than the mma grapplers that can outgrapple me in a traditional sense.

How would you describe your fighting style:

MMA grappler

What is your favourite sport and why:

MMA. I don’t watch or play other sports

Who is your favourite athlete:

Favourite athlete outside of combat sports would be Kobe Bryant. I like his work ethic and mindset.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

khabib nurmagomedov

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Immediate goal – win my next fight and shock people with how much my skills have sharpened. Long term – Become UFC champion

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

They should expect violence. I’m not a lay and pray grappler, if I take you down, I’m gonna hurt you and leave you broken or unconscious

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

Il finish him

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

I fight to prove everyone that believes in me right and to prove the haters wrong. Anyone that comes to my fights I appreciate you more than you know, I love this sport and i really in enjoy having the opportunity to share what I love with you all.

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

Instagram: @street_buddha_mma