THE COVID pandemic may have hastened his journey into the pro game, but rising MMA star Colby Thicknesse insists he won't be rushing his rise through the ranks.
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In a sport where most young fighters of his ilk talk of 'being in a hurry' or 'shooting through', the 21-year-old is eyeing the long game. It's a mature mindset that has many observers tipping him to live up to his 'Golden Boy' moniker.
He made light work of his pro debut last weekend, submitting tough Queenslander Shaun Johnson late in the opening round of the Eternal MMA card on the Gold Coast. It's an impressive start, but the Mt Warrigal product knows that's all it is.
"I was really happy to get back in there but I'm in nor hurry to rush into the big leagues or anything like that," Thicknesse said.
"I'm only 21 and I really want to have my foundation set for when I do get to those bigger promotions. I want to be able to get there, hold my own and work my way up the ranks that way.
"I don't want to be someone who gets in there too young, suffer one or two losses, get cut and it's so much harder to get back in. I'd rather take that extra time, know I'm ready, cover all my bases so when I'm in there I know I belong there."
It's a path Freestyle Fighting Gym stablemate and mentor Alex Volkanovski walked all the way to the UFC featherweight title. The fighting pride of Wollongong had to build a 13-1 record before making his UFC debut a month after his 28th birthday.
He hasn't tasted defeat in the UFC since, with names like Max Holloway, Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes on his resume. Thicknesse says it's a solid blueprint to follow under the guidance of coach Joe Lopez.
"That's what my foundation is, Alex got signed two or three fights earlier [than his debut] and things fell through but it can be a blessing in disguise," Thicknesse said.
"He dominated the Australian and international scene and once there was nobody left for him outside the UFC they pretty much had to take notice and put him in. Now he's undefeated [in the UFC] and the world champ so it obviously works.
"You see so many young guys who want to get in there as early as possible just to say they're in there but I don't want to be known as someone who got into the UFC at a young age. I want to be known as someone who got in there, did their best, won belts and left their mark."
The maiden pro win was his fourth cage walk this year having notched three amateur wins en route to the IMAAF Oceania featherweight title in February. It put him on the path to achieving a major goal in establishing himself as the world's best amateur at the world championships in Kazakhstan before COVID intervened.
"I did have aspirations to go and compete at worlds and then two weeks later everything shut down," he said.
"I ended up getting three fights in through the IMAAF and that took my record to 8-1 as an amateur and made me the number one amateur in Australia and New Zealand so I did everything that I could have done.
"It as super hard [not fighting] but I knew things were going to start back up again so I out the all the extra energy I had from not having a fight into my training. I could have waited until 2021, stayed amateur and tried to chase that, or I could start the pro journey as soon as things opened up.
"I had a chat with Joe [Lopez] and decided it was the right time to start the professional journey, everything fell into place for it. It was only three weeks before that they decided they were going to open up the borders, then we had outbreaks in Sydney and they shut down greater Western Sydney but luckily we were able to go through and I got showcase the level that I'm at."
With the first W in the bank, Thicknesse is eyeing a fight in February or March next year, hoping to run a parallel camp with Volknovski, who's tipped to face American contender Brian Ortega in Australia early next year.
UFC president Dana White has spoken favourably of the idea, with Australia one of the few countries where fighting in front of a crowd is a possibility.
"I'm thinking around February or March, it'll depend on when Alex fights again," Thicknesse said.
"They're looking at those dates and if we can line up our camps to work together that'd be perfect. If that doesn't happen it might be a bit later, but I'm hoping for February- March next year."
Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
