It’s the world’s fastest-growing sport. A new series will bring MMA into lounge rooms across Australia

“So I’ve always loved competing. I love just, you know, me and one other man in the cage and the first guy comes out the winner.”

He said martial arts taught “respect and discipline”, and although “it’s definitely got its dangers”, so, too, did sports such as the rugby codes and AFL.

His worst injuries have been “a couple of broken hands”, as well as the obligatory cauliflower ears.

“They happen early, so you may as well continue once they happen,” he said of his battered ears.

Austin, a 30-year-old from Manly, appears comparatively unscathed after a 30-fight career – 10 at professional level – that culminated in her crowning as the PFL’s straw-weight world champion in Abu Dhabi last year.

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After finishing school, she started kick-boxing for fitness training, and when her trainer initially suggested a competitive fight, she baulked. Eventually, he talked her around, and she was surprised how much she enjoyed the experience.

“I would definitely encourage little girls to be brave and to give it a go,” she said. “All females, I think, should know some form of self-defence.

“Not even just for protection, but for confidence. So just to be brave, have a go, and just believe in yourself.”

At this point in her career, Austin maintains a day job in sales and customer service, but she remains hopeful of eventually becoming a full-time professional athlete.

“You never know,” she said. “Ideally, I would like fighting to be a full-time thing for me, but you never know what the future holds.

“That’s the goal. PFL are obviously creating a pathway for that, so that would be ideal. But one step at a time, and the first thing’s going to be the first fight.”