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Tyson Pedro wants to improve Australian MMA


The 26-year-old came up short in his last bout against Ilir Latifi, losing his unbeaten record as a pro in the process. Despite this, Pedro seems more hell bent than ever when it comes to rebounding from this defeat, and you can tell just by listening to him that something changed after experiencing a loss for the first time.

“Just even knowing that we have Robert Whittaker as a champion and yet Australia is still not 100% behind MMA, and it’s still a little bit frowned upon. I think it’ll be another five years until it’s at the level it should be. But it’s getting there, and I can’t wait until it explodes.”

The Australian not only wants to come back stronger as a fighter, but he’s also setting his sights on helping to improve the state of Australian mixed martial arts as a whole. Tyson realises that the market for a solid base in MMA is there, and there are few better Down Under right now than the man himself.

Alongside Robert Whittaker he’s slowly helping to form something of a revolution, and whilst that may sound like more of a hyperbole than anything else, the hype behind him is real.

“After I had my wins I’d just come home and drink beer with my friends. When I got my first loss, all I wanted to do was train. You just sort of get that new feeling.”

Devastating performances against Khalil Rountree and Paul Craig highlighted his potential prior to anyone even really knowing his name, and this is just the beginning. Within a division that desperately needs a burst of life in the wake of the Jon Jones scandal, there is no man better equipped to step up to the plate than Tyson Pedro.

Whilst his return has yet to be confirmed, few are doubting that he’ll be able to carve out a successful UFC career for himself over the course of the next decade. Of course, that kind of thing is easier said than done, but all you need to do is look upon the work of people like Darren Till & Cody Garbrandt to see that rising up the ranks in a short amount of time is indeed possible.