Combat sports analyst Mike Angove is calling for the recognition his sport deserves after being shunned for decades by the Halberg Awards.
UFC World Champion Israel Adesanya will be nominated by kiwi Mixed Martial Arts authorities for the awards.
But the judging panel must break the mould for Adesanya to be considered a finalist, let alone win.
Three days on from Israel Adesanya's UFC world title victory over Robert Whittaker Mike Angove's unanimous.
"Do I think we should get nominated for the Halbergs? hell yes," Angove told Newshub.
"Do i think we should win it? hell yes."
Former Halberg Judge Brendan Telfer agrees.
"If another New Zealand male or female or sports team won a world title in front of 57 000 fans they would be an absolute certainty at the very least a finalist in their category," Telfer told Newshub.
The only combat sportsperson to have won in 56 years of the Halbergs is boxer Barry Brown - the 30 judges have long favoured more traditional sports.
The question is whether Adesanya's knockout win over Whittaker in front of UFC's biggest ever crowd is enough to sway them.
"If that's not then what is?" Angove added.
Telfer fears some panellists' might not appreciate the UFC's global following.
"I suspect there will be personally some prejudices towards what perhaps people call in a cliched way, cage fighting - it's not a real sport," Telfer told Newshub.
While Adesanya was trending below the All Blacks in New Zealand google searches, worldwide, it was the complete opposite.
"He's well and truly a global superstar and you're telling me that at home we can't recognise that, what is wrong with us?" Angove said.
But after decades of disappointment, Angove's not holding his breath.
"We fight for New Zealand, It's about time New Zealand started to fight for us."
Newshub.
