Back in February, Colby Thicknesse got the call that every fighter dreams of. The UFC was putting on a pay-per-view in Sydney and they needed an Australian to fill in on short notice. While it was immediately an exciting opportunity, he was not exactly in the best circumstances to take the fight.
“I was doing security work, it was just a static shift. So I was just in my car, they had to obviously patrol the school grounds because they had break-ins and that,” Thicknesse explained. “Then I’m like, you know what, I got no flights booked or anything, I’ll treat myself. I’ll have Uber Eats for lunch, Uber Eats for dinner and I’m not doing much.”
So, of course, as soon as the call came in, he got right to work. However, with just about a week to get ready, he had to boil everything down to the essentials.
“It was like nine o’clock I got like a message from [my manager] and Alexandre’s manager and then by 10.30 I’ve finished my shift and I’m in the sauna at home already trying to get some of this excess weight off,” he said. “I’m always staying pretty fit relatively and that sort of thing and I was just sort of keeping, trying to get a little bit of a game plan, staying injury free due to the short notice, not go 100% in a week and just cook myself or get hurt or something. So it was more about just getting a game plan together and trying to get some weight off.”
After three rounds, the decision came down on the other side. Although it was not the result he was looking for, it was a valuable experience. Now, he gets the chance to do it all over again and at home in Perth. This time, he’s had ample time to get ready alongside of his team – which includes UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
“We’ve had so much time and preparation specifically for this look. So I think it’s very beneficial because come fight time, I don’t think anything’s going to surprise me,” Thicknesse said. “I think [having Volkanovski there] just instills confidence. I’ve been in the gyms since I was 13. I’m 26 now. So not only the confidence in my ability, but the confidence to show that it can be done.”
With all of that preparation under his belt, he’s confident that he can get the job done on Saturday against Josias Musasa.
“He’s going to make a mistake. I’m going to capitalize,” he said. “I’m going to jump his back, snatch his neck.”
You can catch that fight against Musasa as part of the prelims of UFC Perth. The fight card begins at 7pm EST and airs on ESPN+.
