Colby Thicknesse came to the Middle East to fight an undefeated Russian.
He wasn’t expecting to face Brett Lee first.
The Australian UFC bantamweight found himself playing backyard cricket with the fast-bowling great in Abu Dhabi this week – and was happy to talk up his batting afterwards.
UFC 333: Volkanovski v Evloev | SUN 25 OCTOBER 5AM AEDT | The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi where Volkanovski is seeking his 7th successful title defense in a highly anticipated match up against the undefeated Movsar Evloev. | Order now on Kayo Sports.
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“I hit him for six,” Thicknesse joked with Fox Sports Australia.
He even reckons Binga suggested he should be representing Australia in a different sport.
The real story? Two deliveries. One miss. One hit.
And no reason to hang around for another.
“He bowled one and I missed it, and he bowled another one and I hit it,” Thicknesse said.
“And I was like, ‘That’s it, I’ve completed my cricket bucket list’.
“I had two, missed one and got one. I was like, ‘I’m done’.”
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It has been that sort of trip for ‘The Slickness’, who faces unbeaten newcomer Asaf Chopurov at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi this weekend, sharing a card with longtime mentor and training partner Alexander Volkanovski.
“That was not on my bingo card when I was coming over to Abu Dhabi,” he said of facing Lee.
“It has been really wild.”
Getting onto Volk’s card, however, had been the plan since his previous fight.
And when Thicknesse heard there was a bantamweight who needed an opponent, he volunteered before doing much homework.
“They said, ‘We have Asaf Chopurov. He’s the only bantamweight on the card’, and I’m just like, ‘I’ll fight him’,” he said.
“And then I looked him up and I was like, ‘He’s got a good record. He’s undefeated and he’s Russian. I can follow in Volk’s footsteps a little bit’.”
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While Volk prepares to defend his featherweight crown against Movsar Evloev, working towards the same date has forced Thicknesse to lift his own standards.
Their hardest sessions have aligned, along with their diets and weight cuts.
And when the champ pushes through another brutal workout, Thicknesse knows what is expected.
“To be able to just sort of shadow him throughout everything and see him do his crazy hard workout, then I’m like, ‘Well, now I’ve got to try and match that intensity’,” he said.
“So it really forced me to rise this camp.”
Thicknesse believes the biggest improvements will show in his striking, having benefited from work with Mauricio Ruffy and Brad Riddell.
“I definitely want to show off my striking more this fight,” he said.
“I feel like I’ve come leaps and bounds this past probably eight to 12 weeks.”
There are still nerves, although they come from knowing how quickly a fight can turn rather than any fear of getting hurt.
Volkanovski’s message has been to trust the preparation and avoid overthinking the occasion.
“I just hope I get to go out and sort of show my full potential and my full skill set,” Thicknesse said.
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He expects Chopurov to test his wrestling, and admits he may end up on his back.
Keeping him there, he believes, will be another matter.
“He’s pretty strong. He’s a good wrestler. He’s probably going to get me down, and then I’m going to stand back up,” Thicknesse said.
“I think his gas tank’s going to start to fade pretty quick when he doesn’t have the success he’s used to having in his fights.
“And then I think I’m going to take over.
“I think I’m going to finish him late in the second round.”
If that prediction comes off, the celebration is already sorted.
“There’s a mad buffet downstairs I haven’t got to eat,” he said.
“I don’t drink or anything. I don’t really like to party.
“So I’m like, ‘Why not eat some good food and try and get a YouTube video out of it?’”
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After the restrictions of fight week, his first request won’t trouble the kitchen.
“A little bit of rice, chicken, bit of tomato sauce would probably be killer right now,” he said.
“Nothing fancy whatsoever.”