‘Oh my god’ moment that unearthed a future Aussie champ

While overlooking the picturesque Sydney Harbour and taking the rare chance to enjoy some downtime as he recovers from injury, UFC heavyweight rising star Brando Pericic truly believes this is where he always destined to wind up.

While his initial dream was to don the green and gold for the Wallabies, the 31-year-old “got in too many fights” playing rugby and knew he needed to redirect his focus, which has now placed him on the doorstep of global stardom.

Pericic, growing up on a farm outside Adelaide with his grandparents, found an affinity for combat sports after watching YouTube clips of Croatian icon Mirko Cro Cop and boxing legend Mike Tyson, with ambitions of rising to that level.

Thinking and dreaming about getting there and making it a reality are two vastly different things - a lesson Pericic was forced to learn the hard way.

Starting his journey on the local scene in his mid-20s, which is admittedly quite late in combat sports, Pericic felt like he was spinning his wheels.

It wasn’t until he started seeing Israel Adesanya’s face on posters at Riker’s Gym in Adelaide that he realised a pathway to the top wasn’t entirely out of reach.

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“I saw this guy everywhere and asked who he was - my coach told me he fought in the local promotion that I was fighting on and now he’s in the UFC,” Pericic told nine.com.au in an exclusive sit-down interview last month.

“For me, that was an ‘oh my god’ moment that made me think, maybe I can do the same thing? I’m headlining shows that he used to headline and the promoter told me I should go across to City Kickboxing [in Auckland] and train with Israel.

“I didn’t believe him at the time, I stayed on the local scene for a while, but after a few years of training I had an opportunity to fight in New Zealand. That night, I fought in front of Israel and I actually lost that fight, I got knocked out. He came up to me after the fight anyway and asked me to come to the gym the next day.

“I got down there, met with Israel and his team and asked them where the gloves were, but Israel looked at me and said ‘you just got knocked out last night’ ... I told him it doesn’t matter, let’s have a crack anyway.

“I did some rounds with Israel and then he ended up inviting me back to be a sparring partner for his first fight against Alex Pereira. I couldn’t make it for that fight due to some personal issues, my grandfather had a stroke and I wanted to stay home and look after him - but once he recovered, I packed my bags.

“I moved over to New Zealand, I was there for Izzy’s second camp against Pereira and I’ve stayed there with him ever since.”

It was a sliding-doors moment that has set Pericic up to compete at a high level.

From a training perspective, the move made total sense as Pericic began to rub shoulders not only with Adesanya - who announced earlier this month that he would actually be leaving the CKB gym - but other championship-level fighters including Alexander Volkanovski, Robert Whittaker and Carlos Ulberg.

But outside the gym, Pericic admitted moving away from loved ones made him question his future, especially with no guarantees of success.

“It was very hard - I started off by sleeping in my van, which was fine, but then my van got stolen, so I had to sleep in the gym,” he said.

“Not seeing my family on a regular basis was the biggest mental struggle, because I truly love and adore my family. It took a lot of sacrifice and dedication.

“It wasn’t an easy road, but I’m just thankful I had the support network around me. I met the right people at the right time and I knew it was inevitable.

“I believed that I could be a UFC champion from training in my grandmother’s shed if the opportunity came my way. When the opportunity came to move and train alongside Israel, I grabbed it and showed up and showed off.

“There were definitely days that I thought the opportunity wouldn’t come.

“Once I found out I’d signed with the UFC, I called my mum to tell her and we shed a couple of tears together, but that feeling was short-lived because I knew I had to put in extra work and get ready for the toughest part yet.”

Since signing with the sport’s top promotion less than a year ago, the man known as “The Balkan Bear” has already turned heads with three first-round knockouts over Elisha Ellison, Louie Sutherland and Shamil Gaziev.

It’s fast-tracked Pericic towards a fight against a top-10 opponent later this year, once he recovers from the broken hand suffered in his previous fight.

But not content with gradually moving up the ranks, Pericic has put a target on Alex Pereira’s back - the same man he was brought into Adesanya’s camp all those years ago to help the Kiwi prepare for - in what would be a full-circle moment.

“Nothing but respect for Alex, but I believe I will beat him,” he said.

“I’m here to fight the biggest and the baddest. I’m not here to take anyone down, I’m here to knock people out and that’s exactly what I would do to him.

“I’ve only been in the UFC since September - what’s that, 10 months - but it feels like I’ve been here for five years and I’m only just getting started.

“I’ve had three wins, three knockouts and three bonuses and that’s exactly what I envisioned going back a decade, this is how I knew I was gonna start.

“I saw myself being in the top-five by the end of 2026 and I still believe I can.

“After that, the world is my oyster and I believe that by the end of 2027, I will be heavyweight champion. I want that title around my waist and whoever has that title, I’m coming for them. They’re the best in the world, but I believe I am.

“I didn’t come here to fight easy opponents, I want to fight the best so I can become the best. That’s my mentality ... I want to fight them all.”

Pericic travelled around Australia during his time off, before making the trip over to Croatia to visit relatives, reminding him of how many people are in his corner.

As for his message to those who aren’t on the Balkan Bear bandwagon yet?

“If you like fighting, I knock people out and I’m here to be champion,” he said.

“I don’t wanna sound like a cocky c---, but I don’t care what people say.

“Follow the journey. I like knocking people out and if you enjoy that, jump on board and support me because I’m here to stay and I’m not going anywhere.”