Launceston's Shaun Etchell could become just the second Tasmanian male to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship if he's victorious in Singapore next week.
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The 28-year-old is fighting at the Road to UFC event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium next Thursday night, with the winner set for a three or five-fight UFC contract.
Launceston Boxing Club's Twigs Millwood, who has coached Etchell alongside Furnace MMA's Steve Wallace, believes his student will grab the opportunity with both hands.
"He's been knocking on the door of this for a lot of years now," Millwood said.
"He's been hyped up through a lot of his career and it's taken a while to get all of the moving parts working together but now I feel is the best time for him.
"He's a little bit older, a little bit more mature and everything is working out just right."
Boasting a record of seven wins and two losses, Etchell, who is nicknamed 'The Buzzsaw', will go toe-to-toe with 19-year-old Japanese fighter Takeru Uchida.
Competing at flyweight (59.1kg), if Etchell wins he will join Hobart's Rob Wilkinson as Tasmanian men to fight in the UFC, with Launceston's Bec Rawlings also having five fights from 2015-17.
Wilkinson (14-2) suffered both of his losses in the UFC in 2017 and 2018, and has recently fought in the Professional Fighting League.
Etchell's last fight back in May 2021 saw him claim Eternal MMA's bantamweight title, becoming the first fighter to win titles across two divisions for the promotion after winning the flyweight belt in 2014.
Millwood believes that not having a fight in over a year won't affect The Buzzsaw's performance.
"He's primed and ready to go," Millwood said.
"He's had like seven pullouts in two years, people just don't want to fight him or they think they want to fight him and when it gets to the nitty-gritty, they just pull out.
"His mental game is as strong as his physical game at the moment."
In order to prepare for the opportunity, Etchell now trains full-time, doing three sessions a day over a variety of disciplines.
"There's been a lot more emphasis on recovery and that sort of stuff," Millwood said.
"Massage, yoga and all those sorts of things, just to keep his body right because it's pretty grueling to be training this sort of sport seven days a week."
Millwood thanked "everyone that's helped him train for this" on behalf of Etchell, describing it as a "team effort".
To sponsor Etchell, who is being assisted by Pro-Scaff and BD Builders, please contact Millwood on 0437249478.
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