Syndey, Australia — There have been bigger debuts — Kai Asakura was granted a title shot in his first UFC fight late last year, after all — but still, Colby Thicknesse finds himself in one of the highest-profile fights possible for his coming out party at UFC 312 this weekend.
That fight comes against Aleksandre Topuria, who will also make his promotional debut in Sydney, and who happens to be the brother of the reigning UFC featherweight champ.
“Without a doubt. This is the biggest opportunity I could possibly get for my debut,” Thicknesse (7-0), who steps in to replace Cody Haddon on short notice, exclaimed during this week’s UFC 312 media day. “There’s already a built-in narrative with it, and I get to fight on a Pay-Per-View, open up the prelims against a very hyped opponent who has a lot of support.”
“I’m coming in with as much support from Australia. I’m really keen to go out there on Sunday and sort of fulfill my debut in a way I didn’t envision it, but it’s actually turned out better than I could have envisioned it.”
There’s a gym versus gym narrative to the fight as well, given Topuria’s brother Ilia defeated Thicknesse’s teammate Alexander Volkanovski last year. Yet Thicknesse is trying to look past all that.
“I like it in a sense,” he stated, noting that “it brings the fans and the attention, the eyes to it. But at the end of the day I’ve got a job to do come Sunday. I’ve got to go out there, get my hand raised by whichever means possible, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
As to joining the card on short notice, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. “We knew something might happen, and being being the number one bantamweight in Australia, if someone was to fall out, I’d get this late-notice call-up, and here we are.”
Ultimately, Colby Thicknesse feels that despite his opponent’s name, it’s not as dangerous a match-up as fans might think.
“He’s not his brother, and I’m going to go out there on Sunday and show it. He hasn’t really fought, or beaten anybody noticeable,” said Thicknesse. “His opponent’s combined record isn’t that great. So I think on Sunday, I’m get to go out and show out against him.”
Watch the full UFC 312 media day appearance by Colby Thicknesse above.
