The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s trip to Australia features several mixed martial artists who have spent the majority of their careers fighting down under. Included in the group is rising light heavyweight prospect James Te-Huna, who is slated for his debut with the promotion Nov. 21 at UFC 110.
Te-Huna’s road to UFC 110 began in 2003 on a sour note, with the New Zealand native losing via submission. While he followed up the loss with three consecutive wins, he only managed to put together a 6-4 record through his first 10 fights.
Since then, Te-Huna has been on a rampage, winning five consecutive fights. The first win of the streak came via decision, but he’s followed that up with four knockout victories. During this impressive winning streak, Te-Huna notched wins over Antony Rea and Priscus Fogagnolo in the first two rounds of the CFC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, and decimated former UFC fighter Anthony Perosh with a first round knockout.
Te-Huna may have started his career constantly gunning for a submission, but he has certainly turned into quite the wrecking ball on his feet. His ever-improving Muay Thai has led him to the top of the light heavyweight ranks in New Zealand and Australia. This weekend, Te-Huna faces his toughest test yet in Mirko Filipovic’s training partner Igor Pokrajic, who fell in his UFC debut last September.
Cro Cop’s apprentice brings solid striking and a dangerous ground game to this weekend’s contest. The Croatian will be a nice test for James Te-Huna, and will go a long way in displaying how promising a prospect the New Zealand native is.