‘Little kid’ completes ‘special’ full-circle moment with Aussie icon

Australian legend Alexander Volkanovski and UFC rising star Colby Thicknesse first crossed paths when the latter was just 13 years old.

This weekend, the pair will compete on the same UFC card for the very first time.

It continues an exciting rise for Thicknesse (9-1), who joined the sport’s top promotion last year and is now set to feature in Abu Dhabi on Sunday (AEDT).

Thicknesse started training at the Freestyle MMA gym as a teenager, right around the same time Volkanovski was kick-starting his own career.

While the 38-year-old has become a two-time featherweight champion and one of the UFC’s all-time greats, Thicknesse is only just finding his groove.

After losing his UFC debut to Aleksandre Topuria – the younger brother of former champ Ilia – in February of last year, Thicknesse has now won two-straight fights.

Speaking to nine.com.au this week, Thicknesse’s long-time mentor spoke about what it meant for the two Wollongong products to find themselves together on a major UFC pay-per-view card after so many years in the trenches training.

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“I’m very proud of him and to be on the same card is incredible,” Volkanovski said.

“To spend fight week with him, getting to do all the real fight week shenanigans together, so that side of it’s pretty cool. He’s been training with us since he was a little kid and to be fighting on the same card is pretty special.

“I’ve definitely seen improvements from him, and I’m really looking forward to this fight, because he really wanted to work on his game and there were some very specific things we needed to touch on and he’s looked incredible.

“He’s been doing some of the best sparring rounds I’ve ever seen from him, so we’re all really happy with him and his progress.

“He’s got a tough fight, so do I – we’re both against two undefeated Russian fellas – but we love a challenge and I think we’re both gonna go out there and dominate and get our hands raised together, which would be pretty special.”

The potential for a winning weekend for both men isn’t out of the question, but that would really just be the icing on the cake for Thicknesse and Volkanovski.

Even fighting on the same card as his mentor is a full-circle moment for the 27-year-old, who found his way to the Wollongong-based gym at a young age and now has aspirations to follow in Volkanovski’s footsteps on the world stage.

“For over half my life now he’s been a part of it and I honestly couldn’t think about where my life would be if I haven’t met someone like Volk,” Thicknesse said.

“There’s too many moments to mention and how much our paths are intertwined now ... I wouldn’t be here without him. Even signing the event posters together yesterday was such a cool moment, because I grew up training with this dude.

“I’m on my own path in this journey. I’m a realist, to achieve what he’s achieved takes a special character, but I’m not saying it’s not something I’m capable of.

“I don’t think there needs to be a comparison or making it about me trying to fill his shoes. I’m just fortunate enough to piggyback off him.

“This feels like a full-circle moment for me and a moment to step back, be proud of all the hard work and everything I’ve done to get myself in this position.”

Thicknesse’s first chance in the UFC came on short notice, when he was “working security and eating Uber Eats” – but since suffering a loss, he explained why he’s needed to overcome some confidence issues.

“I think the biggest thing for me was trying to get over a little bit of imposter syndrome because you see some guys work super hard to get in and I got signed when I fought Topuria on 10 days’ notice,” Thicknesse said.

“Now I’ve got a couple of wins under my belt, I have a bit more of a confidence factor and feel like I belong here. No doubt I’ve got a tough test in front of me, but once I can get through him, it sets me up to have a really big year next year.

Thicknesse is one of a handful of lesser-known Aussie stars featuring at UFC 333, with middleweights Jacob Malkoun and Cam Rowston also in action.

Malkoun told nine.com.au there were a lot of “nerves and anxiety” as he chases a fourth-straight victory and attempt to move up the 185-pound division with a clash against Russia’s Abubakar Vagaev on the early prelim card.

“I’m just counting down the days now, so I can get rid of all this thinking and get out there and perform,” the 31-year-old said. “It’s probably gonna be the hardest fight of my career, so I’ve got to go in with a strong mindset and try break this guy.

“Being on this three-fight streak gives me a bit of momentum, and now I’ve just got to keep winning. If you want to get into that next level in the UFC rankings, you’ve got to start performing and start looking for the finish against these guys.”

UFC 333’s early preliminary card begins at 1am AEDT on Sunday, before the main prelims at 3am and pay-per-view card from 5am.