To kick off our 2025 Eternal MMA Awards, we’re shining a light on the amateurs who stood out in 2025. Breakout performances, big moments, and fighters proving they’re ready for the next level 🔥 These are ones to watch out for…
Knockout of Year 2025
In 2025, we saw so many iconic knockouts that even narrowing it down to the nominees was no easy task. There were countless finishes deserving of their own flowers; Chili’s KO at Eternal 95 on just 10 days’ notice, Kane Rickus’ head-kick KO at the legendary Eternal 100, and Sam Marles’ savage comeback KO at Eternal 95, just to name a few.
But one moment stood above the rest. Darcy Vendy’s walk-off, lights-out KO at Eternal 96 to retain his Eternal middleweight title in the main event. After weathering the storm from Blair Bretag in rounds one and two, Darcy stayed composed, picked his moment, and delivered a statement finish on the biggest stage.
A definitive Knockout of the Year 2025.
Breakthrough Fighters 2025
Many fighters made the jump to the professional ranks in 2025, and it was a year full of breakthrough moments. Immediate impacts were made across the board, but two fighters stood above the rest, so close that they were impossible to separate.
That’s why this year, we’re doing something special. For the 2025 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year, we’re recognising not one, but two athletes. Jesse Swain and Michael Alsop both turned professional in 2025, went undefeated at 2–0, and delivered back-to-back knockout finishes.
Both men wasted no time making a statement, debuting as pros and maintaining a 100% finish rate with quick turnarounds throughout the year. We’re excited to see what’s next for these two as they continue to build their careers, because this is only the beginning.
Submission of Year 2025
In 2025, we saw plenty of lightning-fast finishes, but one stood above the rest. A Round 1, 14-second armbar from Cyprian Rogozinski.
Cyprian returned in 2025 after a four-year layoff and made an immediate statement with back-to-back armbar submissions at Eternal 96 and 98. But it was his 14-second finish at Eternal 98 that truly separated itself, earning Submission of the Night.
A clear Submission of the Year 2025 🏆👊
Fight of The Year 2025
What a year 2025 was. Narrowing down the nominees for Fight of the Year was no easy task, with so many unforgettable battles deserving of recognition. Fights like Marles VS Law at Eternal 95, Vendy VS Bretag at Eternal 96, Filimoehala VS Kelly at Eternal 98, and Lam VS Van Ingen at Eternal 101 could each stand alone as award-worthy performances.
Choosing just one felt almost impossible, but one fight had everything you could ask for. Kevin Kophamel VS A’Keitheon Whitner delivered a relentless, back-and-forth war, with both athletes showcasing every facet of mixed martial arts. A true showcase of MMA that had fans on their feet and begging for more.
Kophamel VS Whitner: a very deserving Fight of the Year 2025.
Fighter of The Year 2025
What a year 2025 was for so many fighters, for so many reasons. Undefeated streaks were maintained, legacies were built, and the toughest challenges were accepted. Fighters proved they could not only win, but return weeks later and deliver back-to-back statement performances. Many athletes put their name on the map and established themselves as real threats inside the Eternal Cage.
But one fighter stood above the rest. Darcy Vendy is your Eternal MMA Fighter of the Year.
Headlining two championship events, Darcy showed why he is the king of the middleweight division.
At Eternal 94, he took on Mat Myers in a grueling title fight, pushing the pace and securing a vicious third-round rear-naked choke. Three months later at Eternal 96, he returned to defend his belt again, delivering a Round 2 lights-out knockout against Blair Bretag.
Two championship fights, two finishes, and extending his win streak to 6 in a row, Darcy proved in 2025 that when the stakes are highest, he delivers. Finishing elite opponents, defending titles definitively, earning Darcy his place as Eternal MMA Fighter of the Year 2025.
On July 25, 2015, Eternal MMA made its long-awaited debut in Perth with Eternal 11 — a grassroots event that would quietly lay the foundation for a movement. Held inside a boxing ring at the WA Italian Club due to the state’s then-active cage ban, the night featured 11 fights, six finishes, and an energy that hinted at what was to come.
For Western Australia, this event meant more than just fights. It was the beginning of a pathway — a platform for local talent to compete, grow, and eventually rise to the highest levels of the sport.
Eternal 11 // July 25, 2015 // WA Italian Club, Western Australia
Headlining that historic Eternal card was Ryan Gray versus Bowen Cornish. Gray wins with a triangle choke in Round 2, just 57 seconds in. Also, on the card was Mitch Martin, who would go on to become one of Eternal’s most dominant champions — finishing his career undefeated at 8-0, with three knockouts and three submissions to his name.
Mitch Martin appeared on Eternal 11 and eventually became the Eternal bantamweight champion and retire with a perfect 8-0 record.
“It was the beginning of wearing multiple hats,” recalled Eternal director and Scrappy MMA head coach Ben Vickers. “I had a million fighters on the card, including the main event, and I was also promoting the show. But I knew that night it was the start of something. The atmosphere in that place was unique and intimidating — so awesome.”
According to Eternal MMA CEO Cam O’Neill, the vision for bringing Eternal to Perth came from a clear need.
“We always believed in the talent here — but what we saw was a serious lack of opportunity,” O’Neill said. “No dedicated MMA events, no athlete pathway, and fighters from Western Australia were too expensive to fly east — so they were constantly overlooked. I could see it clearly: fighters in Western Australia needed their own platform.”
That’s where the partnership between Cam and Ben took root.
“Ben had a gym full of killers and nowhere to showcase them. Together, we knew Eternal needed to go national, then global… and Western Australia was the perfect place to start.”
Before Eternal 11, WA’s fight scene was patchy at best. MMA fights were squeezed into hybrid shows, and pro fighters had to travel east — often at their own expense — just to compete. Eternal’s arrival changed that, bringing regular events and a structure that WA athletes could build careers around.
From that first event, Eternal would go on to host seven more shows in the ring, including Eternal 13, which featured the debut of a young Jack Della Maddalena, who would later become the UFC welterweight champion of the world. That card was headlined by Myles Simpson versus Ryan Gray.
In June 2017, the cage ban in Western Australia was finally lifted — a move that Eternal MMA had actively advocated for.
“The cage ban being lifted was incredible for Perth,” Vickers said. “It meant the UFC could consider the city for events, gyms were busier, and the sport truly started to thrive here.”
Just two months later, Eternal 28 was the first Eternal cage event in the state, headlined by Josh Della, who scored a devastating first-round knockout over Brandon Ropati.
Building a Perth Legacy: The Events That Followed
From there, Perth became a regular stronghold for Eternal MMA:
Eternal 25: Mitch Martin claimed the bantamweight title; Anthony Drilich (future flyweight champion) also competed and won his bout.
Eternal 28: New South Wales’ Josh Togo (future lightweight champion) competed in WA, beginning his climb in the division.
Eternal 31: Casey O’Neill fought in Perth for the first time, while Jack Della Maddalena continued his ascent.
Eternal 34: Cody Haddon made his debut with a first-round submission over Danial “Mini T” Williams — both would go on to compete on the world stage.
Eternal 37: Jack Della Maddelena defended his belt; Quillan Salkilld made his debut, and Ryan Jankowski emerged as a contender.
Eternal 40: Featured future UFC fighters Callan Potter and Carlos Ulberg.
Eternal 44: Moved to HBF Stadium (now Perth HPC), headlined by UFC veterans Steven Kennedy and Ben Alloway, with rising stars like Seb Szalay and Quillan on the card.
Eternal 47: Steve Erceg defeated Paul Loga, alongside strong showings from Cody, Seb, and Quillan.
Eternal 48: While not held in Perth, this event marked a pivotal moment in Eternal history — the beginning of the promotion’s partnership with UFC Fight Pass, a global distribution deal that brought more exposure than ever before to Australian fighters.
Eternal 51: Jack Della headlined; Casey O’Neill returned for her second fight in Perth.
Eternal 53: Jack Della’s final Eternal appearance before joining the UFC, defeating Aldin Bates in a rematch. Cody and Quillan also featured.
Eternal 60: A wild main event between Steve Erceg and Cody Haddon had the entire stadium on its feet — both fighters later signed to the UFC.
Eternal 53 // October 10, 2020 // This was Jack Della’s last fight on Eternal MMA in Perth.
Eternal’s International Impact
Since then, Eternal’s influence has only grown:
Eternal 73: Steve Erceg earned his UFC contract after defeating a top Japanese contender.
Eternal 76: Quillan Salkilld became lightweight champion, a superstar selling out venues.
Eternal 87: Kevin Kophamel VS Harry Webb went down as one of the greatest Australian MMA fights ever, with Webb crowned the new champ.
Eternal 97: A full-circle moment — Jack Della Maddalena returned to Perth with the UFC belt.
Eternal MMA has now held nearly 100 events, with Eternal 99 set to return to Perth — a milestone that speaks to the promotion’s consistency and growth. The promotion directly injects over $750,000 annually into the WA economy, brought international fighters from America, Thailand, Japan, and Korea, and given both homegrown and interstate athletes a legitimate pathway to the world stage.
Today, Perth is home to four fighters currently signed to the UFC — Jack Della Maddalena, Steve Erceg, Quillan Salkilld and Cody Haddon — with three of them being former Eternal champions. Eternal also played a major role in elevating talents like Casey O’Neill, Carlos Ulberg, and Callan Potter, who used their opportunities in WA to launch global careers.
A Decade of Impact
There’s something special about Perth fight fans — loud, loyal, and proud. From a boxing ring in an Italian social club to roaring stadiums and UFC glory, they’ve backed their own from the very beginning.
Among those who’ve witnessed Eternal’s growth firsthand is Leanne Phillips, who began as a timekeeper at the WA Italian Club and eventually went on to judge, work with the Combat Sports Commission, and now the UFC.
“Back at the Italian Club, it was all heart and hustle,” she recalls. “That grassroots experience grounded me in what this sport is really about — giving fighters a platform and growing something real.”
Over the years, she’s seen MMA in WA shift from misunderstood to mainstream.
“Eternal helped legitimise the sport. Their professionalism, structure, and focus on fighter development made people take MMA seriously. It’s been incredible to watch it evolve — and Eternal has been at the centre of that evolution.”
“And one of them, our former welterweight champion, Jack Della Maddalena, has gone all the way to become the UFC welterweight world champion. Let that sink in — a kid who fought for us here in Perth now wears UFC gold,” said O’Neill. “WA has always been a hotbed for talent — they just needed the stage. Eternal MMA became that stage. And 10 years on, we’re still here, louder and prouder than ever.”
Through it all — from venue challenges to the uncertainty of the pandemic — Eternal MMA never wavered. While much of the country was locked down due to COVID, Eternal rolled the dice and kept the show going. Against the odds, the team persevered, ensuring that Australian fighters — including those in Western Australia — had a platform when the world stood still.
“The scene has blown up since those early days,” said Gray, the former Eternal Featherweight champion. “Now it’s not just hardcore fans in the room — it’s a legit night out. Eternal has been a big part of making that happen.”
“It all started with a ring, a relationship between Cam and I, and a whole lot of hard work,” said Vickers. “Ten years later — look where we are.”
As Cam O’Neill put it best: “Here’s to the past 10… and the next 10 to come. Perth — thank you for riding with us. We’re just getting started.”
