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Kiefer Crosbie waited 14 years to get his fists into UFC branded gloves – then was told he had just two weeks to prepare for his promotional debut.
The 33-year-old Dubliner, a close friend of MMA trailblazer Conor McGregor, will step into the Octagon for the first time against Kevin Jousset on Saturday, having initially been booked in for the Contender Series.
Crosbie is a welterweight powerhouse that boasts a professional record of 10-3 – and is armed with a determination to make his country proud by showcasing his ability at the highest level.
Speaking to Daily Star Sport, Crosbie said of the fateful call: "I've been training up for the Contender Series, which was supposed to be in October.
READ MORE: 'I went from Aldi to training with Conor McGregor and fighting at Madison Square Garden'
He added: "They were trying to get me a good match and, a couple of weeks ago my manager text me saying the UFC reached out. That's a good sign because that means they're interested. And he said, yeah, the wheels are in motion now."
Crosbie sensed that he could be skipping the Contender Series audition as the promotion looked to bolster their return to Australia on September 9 – headlined by the middleweight championship bout Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland .
"(He said) the Contender series isn't gonna work out. But welcome to the UFC. We got a multi-fight deal and I was like, man, I f***ing, I almost threw my phone across the room.
"He's like, oh by the way: 'It's in two weeks in Sydney, Australia." And I was like, what the f***? I thought that was a bit crazy. But I was like, man, put me anywhere on this planet."
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He added: "Thank God, I'm, I'm here in the biggest and best organisation in the world of combat sports and I just can't wait to strap them gloves up and make that walk and stand in the Octagon finally, after all these years of envisioning this and dreaming of this.
"It's literally a dream come true, a goal accomplished. Where I come from, not many people make much of themselves, you know what I mean?
"And that was my whole purpose here. That was my whole motivation was I'm going to do this. Nobody can take this from me."
Crosbie is fresh off the back of his win over Aaron Chalmers in the boxing ring under the Kingpyn banner earlier this year, having won his twice in the cage in the past 13 months.
After posting his signing announcement on Instagram, two-weight former UFC champion McGregor was one of the first to respond.
The duo grew up just miles apart in the Irish capital, remaining close throughout their respective careers, the comment read: "Big News!"
Crosbie said: "He's a really close friend of mine. He Facetimed me straight away when he found out about the contract and we talked for a while on the phone.
"He was so happy for me, gave me some seriously good advice, studied my opponent, broke them down, gave me great details and he's just over the moon for me. He knows how much this means to me."
He added: "He changed the dynamic of Ireland, you know what I mean, not just Irish MMA. He almost injected the confidence in young men in our country. I've looked up to him ever since and when he got in there, I was like, man, this is incredible.
KSI takes on Tommy Fury at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday, October 14th as he hopes to cause an upset. Logan Paul will also be fighting at the event in front of what is expected to be a sell-out crowd.
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"We come from very similar places and an area of mindset of people that like, just work a normal job but he f***ing just shot up to the moon in a Rocky way, just took over the world.
"So I'm very proud to call him a friend. To be honest, I've looked up to him for many years. If I can get 1% of his success, I'll be a happy man. So now it's time to carve my own path and make my own name."
Crosbie concluded: "The only thing that matters to me is making that walk and getting my hand raised and that's it. That's, that's my main sole focus here.
"That's really what it's about and win and I'm a competitor and I'll stand in front of any human being on this planet and fight them until I'm dead or someone's dragging them off me that's just who I am."
Watch UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland on TNT Sports in the UK from 1AM in the early hours of Sunday morning. The main card gets underway from 3AM.
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