Elsewhere, Mac has also been billed as Australia\u2019s answer to Dana White, and is now vowing to do for brawling what the UFC boss has already done with an MMA empire worth in excess of $15 billion. <\/p>\n
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, the IBC founder also unveiled for the first time his plans to host six events annually \u2013 split between Australia and the rest of the world \u2013 while also outing UFC stars Robert Whittaker, Tai Tuivasa and Justin Tafa as targets.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Plans are also underway for an \u2018Anzac Showdown\u2019 between the best fighters from Australia and New Zealand next April, with the promotion also looking to sign up an elite group of NRL toughs and various other crossover fighters.<\/p>\n
While eventually planning to build a global roster similar to White\u2019s UFC, the IBC initially plans to create an Australian team that will then travel to take on opponents from around the globe, with a World Cup-style event also being discussed. <\/p>\n
And when it comes to the television component, Mac has already secured a deal with 14 broadcasters \u2013 including Australia\u2019s Main Event and Kayo Sports \u2013 and says there is a strong chance Holloway will be watching on from Hawaii later this week to see what he helped create.<\/p>\n
Mac stressed he also plans to make national names of several young fighters who have been competing in backyard events, and says there is \u201cno limit\u201d to the size of purses that will eventually be offered to his biggest stars.<\/p>\n
WHAT IS THE INTERNATIONAL BRAWLING CHAMPIONSHIPS?<\/p>\n
Dubbed UFC without wrestling, Mac has lauded his hybrid combat sport as a \u201cfusion\u201d of fight precision and brawling energy.<\/p>\n
Each bout features four, two-minute rounds.<\/p>\n
Just like the UFC, fighters wear four-ounce gloves however compete exclusively with stand-up striking.<\/p>\n
There is no wrestling, no knees, no elbows.<\/p>\n
The action also unfolds inside a square cage designed specifically by Mac, and measuring only five metres by five metres, to ensure constant engagement between the athletes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019ve worked out what fight fans want, and that\u2019s action,\u201d Mac says simply. \u201cAll the other bulls***, people are sick of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we really are changing the script with this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel Mac, IBC president.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
Like with professional boxing and most MMA promotions, every round is scored via the traditional 10-9 must system. However in a unique twist, the judging criteria also states a fighter cannot score while punching off the back foot, but only when either moving forward or standing their ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause,\u201d Mac stresses, \u201cwe don\u2019t reward runners\u201d.<\/p>\n
Yet undoubtedly the biggest twist to the IBC concept comes thanks to a moment created by the UFC\u2019s reigning BMF champion Max \u2018Blessed\u2019 Holloway \u2026<\/p>\n
WHAT DOES \u2018BLESSED\u2019 HAVE TO DO WITH IBC?<\/p>\n
Only last year at UFC 300, Holloway went and created one of combat sport\u2019s most iconic moments when, in the dying stages of his showdown against American Justin Gaethje, he pointed to the centre of the Octagon \u2013 demanding the pair throw down.<\/p>\n
Gaethje, being who he is, obliged, with the pair then throwing hands until, with only a second remaining, Holloway landed the brutal right hand which not only iced his rival but earned him, in every sense, the Baddest Mother F***er crown.<\/p>\n
And it was in this moment that the IBC was effectively born.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I can still remember the goosebumps I got watching on at home,\u201d Mac recounts. \u201cI was sat there telling myself, \u2018OK, this is exactly what f***ing fighting is all about\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that moment, Max Holloway created what I believe are the greatest 10 seconds in combat sports history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which is why now inside every IBC cage \u2013 right there, smack bang in the middle — a small diamond is painted onto the canvas. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it\u2019s here,\u201d Mac says, \u201cwhere we have The Final Stand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every round from the second on, a fighter has the opportunity to invite his opponent to meet inside the diamond, where the two combatants then go all Holloway versus Gaethje.<\/p>\n
As Mac explains it: \u201cFrom the second round, if both fighters agree, they point to the ground, time pauses, and the arena gets blacked out.<\/p>\n
\u201cA large, bright light then shines down onto the diamond, with the two fighters instructed to brawl.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can then go for as long as they like, it doesn\u2019t impact the time of that round.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mac added there are only two ways The Final Stand can finish.<\/p>\n
If a fighter is feeling the pressure, they can step out and get deducted a point \u2013 like you would in other fight sports for, say, a knockdown or a foul. The clock then resumes and the round continues on as normal.<\/p>\n
And as for the other option?<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody,\u201d Mac says, \u201cgoes to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
WHICH FIGHTERS HAS THE IBC SIGNED?<\/p>\n
One of Australian boxing\u2019s most popular knockout artists, Queenslander Issac Hardman, has already signed a five-fight deal with the IBC and will now headline this Friday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n
Mac also revealed how, as part of growing the IBC over the next year, he is also looking to target some of Australia\u2019s biggest combat stars \u2013 think Whittaker and Tuivasa \u2013 while also offering deals to recognised NRL brawlers like Junior Paulo, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, and Reagan Campbell-Gillard.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already had discussions with Tai Tuivasa,\u201d Mac said of the cult UFC heavyweight. \u201cAnd this is definitely his gig, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve also spoken with Justin Tafa and am keen, obviously, to meet with Whittaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just know this is the perfect platform for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mac also stressed he eagerness to turn Hardman into an IBC cult hero, much the same way as the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) has transformed American Mike Perry into its poster boy.<\/p>\n
Issac HardmanSource: Supplied<\/p>\n
The promoter added that he also plans to make household names of young fighters who, most recently, have been competing in backyard events.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re turning these young guys into professional athletes,\u201d Mac said. \u201cGiving them the chance to really get paid, fight on Main Event and Kayo Sports, earn themselves sponsorships, so it really is a no brainer for them\u201d.<\/p>\n
Asked what sort of money the IBC eventually plans to offer its biggest stars and the promoter added: \u201cThere really isn\u2019t a limit when it comes to where our fight purses get to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eventually, Mac said he sees the IBC boasting an international roster and suggested Holloway could even be watching on this weekend to see, first hand, the fighting phenomenon he has helped create.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I know for a fact that Volk has told him about it,\u201d the promoter said, referencing Australia\u2019s UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s told Max what we\u2019re doing and how The Final Stand was created.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo who knows what will come of that? We\u2019ll wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n
AUSTRALIA VERSUS THE WORLD?<\/p>\n
Mac stressed there is a reason he called this new promotion the International Brawling Championships.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019re not thinking national,\u201d he stressed, \u201cbut global\u201d.<\/p>\n
While eventually the IBC plans to have a roster, and events, similar to that of the UFC model, Mac initially wants to create cards where Aussies go take on the best of New Zealand, the US and Great Britain. <\/p>\n
In 2026, the IBC is planning for six shows \u2013 three in Australia and three more overseas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe three fights in Australia will effectively serve as a selection process for the Australian squad,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe\u2019ll then have those 10 fighters travel abroad to fight guys from Great Britain, or the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr first international show will be in New Zealand next April.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralia versus the Kiwis.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom there, we will then look through the television analytics to see where it makes sense for us to go.<\/p>\n