Athletes
Dom Mar Fan | ‘Street Buddha’ Is Ready To Deliver
UFC Debutant Plans To Kick Off UFC Perth With A Bang As He Predicts “Fun Fight” With Kody Steele
Dom Mar Fan knows what it’s like to make the walk to the Octagon on a big UFC night, but Saturday will see him do so for the first time as a UFC athlete.
Fan made that walk back at UFC 325 as he contested the final of Road To UFC as part of the preliminary card. His unanimous decision victory over Sangwook Kim earned him a UFC contract. It was an experience the 26-year-old Brisbane native said prepared him even more thoroughly for his step up to the big time.
“Road to UFC was awesome,” he said.
“It felt like it gave me three extra fights of international experience. I feel very fortunate. I feel like I kind of found myself in the tournament, and I felt like I made some serious strides with each fight. I feel like I'm such a better fighter than I would have been if I had gotten signed straight to the UFC. I feel better for it.
“That last win kind of felt like I unlocked a new gear in my game, in my style, in the way that I can perform in front of a crowd,” he said.
“So, yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next. I think it's the start of a really good thing.
Now “Street Buddha” is a bona fide UFC fighter, and he’s ready to make his official Octagon debut on Saturday when he takes on Kody Steele in a lightweight preliminary card matchup at RAC Arena in Perth.
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It’s a huge occasion for Fan, and one that he’s clearly amped for.
“I'm excited. I think it's gonna be a really fun fight,” he said.
“I think me and Kody could be fighting in the car park, and I think it'd be a fun fight, and I'd be excited for it. So I'm super pumped.”
Steele will head into the bout keen to bounce back from defeat on his UFC debut, where he was outpointed by Rongzhu in UFC 312’s Fight of the Night. Fan has spent time scouting the American ahead of fight night, and thinks the Syndicate MMA product’s willingness to get involved in a tear-up should work to his own favor.
“I think Kody's the type of guy who's not afraid of a bit of a scrap, and I think that's going to make for a really entertaining fight,” he suggested.
“I also think it's going to give me a lot of opportunity to look for the finish. I think sometimes, I can be fighting someone, and they can be a little bit more conservative, right? You crack them once, and they kind of settle back, or they try to force a grapple that isn't really there, but it can stall out the fight. I don't think Kody's that type of guy.
“I think Kody's the type of guy that likes to try to get after it the whole time, and I think that's fun for the fans, because it keeps the danger going on both sides the whole time. But it also gives me a really great opportunity to look for a spectacular finish, which I’m excited for.”
Fan heads into Saturday’s matchup riding a five-fight win streak, with his only career losses coming against co-main eventer Quillan Salkilld. The most recent of those losses – in a bout for the Eternal MMA lightweight title – came more than two years ago, and Fan has taken his career to new levels since then. Now he just wants to keep that momentum rolling as he continues to level up his skills on the big stage.
“I'd like to stay active. I think there's a lot of guys in the division that I would cause some serious problems for,” he said.
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“I'm excited to showcase my skills. I feel like I'm developing a lot from each fight. There was a point in my career where I felt like I needed a lot of downtime in between each fight to kind of break down what went wrong, what went right, and try to really work on skills. But I feel like I'm doing so much better nowadays at working on that on the fly, so to speak, like in the middle of a training camp, having massive developments. So, yeah, I'm keen to stay active.”
And now he’s in the UFC, Fan is hoping that his talents can see him rack up the frequent flyer miles, as well as the wins, as he looks to take in the full experience of being a UFC fighter.
“I'd love to fight in America. That's a big one, for sure,” he admitted.
“A Vegas fight, that'd be pretty cool. I got to go to Vegas when I was cornering my teammate, Tom Nolan, when he fought on Contender Series. And it was a really fun experience, man. I liked Vegas. I thought it was entertaining. And I'd love to be able to throw my own hat in the ring for that one.”
Before he can start dreaming of Vegas, Fan knows he has to deliver on home soil. His fight with Steele will kick off the fight card on Saturday, and he’s said the crowd will be getting action from the opening exchange.
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“Saturday, I think they should be expecting a bit of blood,” he said.
“I have a habit of drawing blood out of my opponents – I have a habit of cutting them up with elbows. And I also have a habit of shutting out whatever my opponent wants to do. Whenever I decide that we're playing a certain game, that's what's happening for the rest of the fight. So if they can adapt, we'll see. If they can't, it's a rough night for them.”
And a rough night is exactly what Fan is predicting for Steele when the pair start to throw leather on fight night.
“I envision shutting Kody out,” he said.
“I think he's an explosive guy (but) after I get a read on his timing and his range, I think the fight is not going to look super close.
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“To the fans, I do think it will be exciting, because I think he's going to keep coming forward and he's going to keep trying to put pressure on, but I think I'm going to keep putting problems in his way and causing a lot of damage to him.
“I envision my hand getting raised at the end, and I envision Kody's face looking very different by the end of the fight.”
UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on May 2, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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