Colby Thicknesse’s Moment Has Arrived

“Funny enough, I was working my security job and was just in my car, watching a school site that got broken into, and then Ilia's manager hit me up on Instagram,” Thicknesse said. “He asked me for my WhatsApp, and then we had a quick chat. I spoke to Joe and (Alexander Volkanovski), who were both in New Zealand, went to sleep, then come Sunday morning pretty much it was official. I got a contract signed couple days later and everything's been smooth sailing since.” 

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Not everyone gets to have a former UFC champion in their corner when they make the walk, but lucky for Thicknesse he does, as former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will be with “Slickness” this weekend in Sydney. 

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It’s an exciting week for Thicknesse, who finally gets to call himself a UFC fighter, after spending so many previous UFC fight weeks being on the other side. 

“I've been on the other end of this where I've been a part of the fight weeks, but it's being there for Volk, so to have it focused on me now and just to have him supporting me - same with Joe and everybody else - it's been really fun,” Thicknesse said. “I'm really trying to soak it in and stay present in the moment and just enjoy everything that comes.”

His first task in the Octagon comes with a lot of eyes on it, as he prepares to face featherweight champion Ilia Topuria’s brother. 

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The storyline has been a big topic of conversation ahead of UFC 312, given Volkanovski’s history with the champion, who will be cornering his brother inside Qudos Bank Arena. There’s been a lot of hype and interest in Aleksandre Topuria, as he also prepares to make his UFC debut on Sunday. 

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Topuria was originally scheduled to face Cody Haddon, but when Haddon withdrew from the fight, it was Thicknesse who got the call, and that gave him a lot of confidence as he gets ready for the biggest moment of his career this far. 

“I think it just shows the level that I'm at and it's also good because it's got that built-in rivalry and the narrative. I'm very objective with what I have to do on Sunday and how I'm going to go out there and win, but it is also very cool to play into this because this is probably one of the most hyped debutant vs debutant matchups in the UFC, so I'm very grateful that I get to be a part of this. I've got all the eyes, so I want to make sure come Sunday I make the most of the attention.”

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Thicknesse comes into the matchup with a perfect 7-0 record, while Topuria’s record stands at 5-1, with all his wins coming by way of finish. The bantamweight is eager to go out and test himself against someone like “El Conquistador.” 

“He hasn't faced high level opposition yet,” Thicknesse said. “Everybody has seen his record. He's obviously good to go out there and finish these guys. My thing is when I'm locked in there with him, I want to see how he goes when things don't go his way, when we're in them later rounds, how he deals. I'm very keen just to test him and see what he's made of.”

At the end of the day, Thicknesse just wants to show the level he is at a mixed martial artist. He wants to show how good he is and make a statement against someone with a lot of hype. And he just wants to take in the moment of making his debut in front of an excited Australian crowd. 

“It's probably going to be one of the greatest moments of my life. I've had some pretty cool workouts, but nothing is going to top this. It's much better than what I envisioned. To get to debut in my home country on a pay-per-view with a sold-out stadium is probably going to be one of the best moments of my life.”