‘I want to finish him’: Volk’s teammate, Colby Thicknesse, wants revenge on Topuria after late notice UFC 312 call-up

Colby Thicknesse was listening to Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown when he received a message that changed his life. Now the Wollongong fighter has vowed to get revenge.

Colby Thicknesse (L) will fight Ilia Topuria's brother, Aleksandre, in a late-notice fight at UFC 312. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

Wollongong fighter Colby Thicknesse (7-0) is hell bent on revenge after stepping in on late notice to fight Ilia Topuria’s younger brother, Aleksandre (5-1), at UFC 312 in Sydney next weekend.

A long-time training partner and good mate of former featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski, 25-year-old Thicknesse will replace the injured Cody Haddon against Aleksandre on just 14 days’ notice.

Ilia Topuria shocked the world with a second round knockout of Volkanovski last February to claim the featherweight belt, and the pair are reportedly close to finalising a rematch in Miami in April at UFC 214.

Volkanovski will be in Thicknesse’s corner alongside coach Joe Lopez and Jiu Jitsu legend Craig Jones, while Ilia will work his brother’s corner on fight night.

And Thicknesse, who has trained with Volkanovski and Lopez since he was just 13, says revenge is high on his mind.

“Oh, definitely, I want to finish him come Sunday, then Volk’s gonna finish Ilia in April – if that fight goes ahead,” Thicknesse told this masthead. “Freestyle Gym is coming for everything, I’ll tell you that much.

Ilia Topuria (R) will work his brother Aleksandre’s (L) corner at UFC 312 in Sydney. Picture: David Benito/Getty Images

“It’s exciting because you don’t usually have this much hype around debut fights, where you’ve got a champion and an ex-champion who are rivals, who have fought before and have a rematch planned.

“It’s his brother, I’m Volk’s main sparring partner, so it’s a very cool situation, and honestly, I didn’t picture this for my debut.”

It’s been a whirlwind couple of days for the super-talented Thicknesse, who placed second on this masthead’s list of the most exciting rising MMA prospects of 2024.

The all-action fighter had been training in case a UFC 312 fight fell through, but with time running out, he was almost ready to start looking at other potential fights.

“Funnily enough, I was working a security shift, just doing a 10-hour static shift in my car on Saturday and was listening to Triple J’s Hottest 100,” he said. “I got an Instagram message from Ilia’s manager, he asked for my WhatsApp and gave me a call asking if I was healthy and ready for a short notice fight.”

Thicknesse has high-profile support back home. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

Thicknesse says he didn’t get his Hottest 100 votes in, so can’t comment on Chappell Roan topping the list, but within hours of ‘Good Luck, Babe’ being confirmed as the number one song in the annual countdown, he was locked in for his UFC debut.

“I rang Joe and Volk straight away that night,” he said. “I’ve been able to get all the specific training and different looks at Topuria since Monday morning.

“It’s just been very reassuring to have them both there to study with and get a game plan.”

In truth, Thicknesse should have debuted in the UFC much earlier after making waves in the amateur scene and going pro in 2020.

Ongoing injuries slowed his progress until he was finally able to string together four impressive victories last year.

Volkanovski and Topuria are reportedly close to finalising a rematch. Picture: Getty Images

Unable to compete as he rehabbed various injuries, Thicknesse kept showing up to the gym, and even travelled as part of Volkanovski’s team for his UFC 290 featherweight title defence against Yair Rodriguez in 2023.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned from Volk is just to remain present in the moment and to soak it all in,” Thicknesse said. “Don’t let the external noise get to you.

“It resonated with me how well he handled himself after the second Max Holloway fight – there was a lot of controversy.

“But he just took it in his stride, kept on fighting and came back and delivered his greatest ever performance in the trilogy fight.

“He’s always kept true to himself and just kept working and grinding and everything just came together as it should.

“So I just need to follow in that mentality, don’t get too caught up in the moment and enjoy everything as it comes.”

Originally published as ‘I want to finish him’: Volk’s teammate, Colby Thicknesse, wants revenge on Topuria after late notice UFC 312 call-up