At UFC on ESPN+ 16 in front of his home province of British Columbia, Tristan Connelly will make his Octagon debut. The 33-year-old steps in on four days notice to take on highly touted Michel Pereira.
On the day that the Checkmat Vancouver fighter and head coach signed his contract, MMASucka.com caught up with him.
His last outing was on July 27 at Rise FC 4 where he defeated D’Juan Owens in a bloodbath. The two fought toe-to-toe for nearly 25-minutes, with Connelly finishing the fight in the fifth round. This was the push, “Boondock” needed to get his shot in the pinnacle organization of MMA.
Tristan Connelly Gets Hometown Debut
His opponent, Pereira made his Octagon debut at UFC on ESPN+ 10 in impressive fashion. Just under two minutes into the fight, “Demolidor” landed a flying knee to finish Danny Roberts.
Connelly is a fan of the Brazilian and stated, “I’m a fan. Don’t get me wrong, I hope after I kick his ass, he won’t hold a grudge and he’ll give me an autograph.”
The 33-year-old is coming into this fight with no nerves and also a very interesting headspace. “If he loses to me, poor guy,” Connelly told MMASucka. “If he were to beat me, oh that’s ok, no one’s going to think twice, my stock goes up. Worst case scenario, he knocks me out right away, my stock goes up. What’s next? He beats me, but it’s a tough fight, my stock goes up further. Maybe I etch him out, maybe I beat him, my stock goes way up. I f*ck him up, finish him, I’m a superstar.”
In the end, Connelly is getting his wish and will fight inside the UFC Octagon. And the cherry on top is that he gets to do it in front of his hometown crowd.