Athletes
Brando Peričić Never Gave Up
Heavyweight Talks Training With Israel Adesanya And Matchups He Is Eyeing In The Future
Brando Peričić was on the verge of quitting MMA. Not getting booked for fights meant struggling to make ends meet, and for the heavyweight, it wasn’t worth it anymore. That all changed when former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya invited Peričić to help him train while preparing to face Alex Pereira in a rematch at UFC 287.
Working with the boys at City Kickboxing in Auckland, New Zealand, Peričić found a home, and a few years later going on to make his own walk to the Octagon in Perth, Western Australia, last September. Claiming the victory in under two minutes, Peričić wanted to get back to action as soon as possible but remained patient before getting the call to fight in London on Saturday night.
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“Being in the UFC is a massive privilege and opportunity,” Peričić said. “Life is pretty much the same. I expected to be here. I expected to win. I'm just continuing to get better, and I wanted to fight a lot sooner. Six months is ridiculous, but it is what it is. I'm so grateful to be here and hopefully can make a quick turnaround and get on UFC Perth.”
Originally born in Adelaide, Australia, the 31-year-old proudly represents his native country of Croatia. After getting to debut in Australia last September, “The Balkan Bear” feels that Saturday night inside the O2 Arena is the chance to make the debut once again.
“I debuted in Australia, and now I get to debut in Europe,” Peričić said. “I've got all my Croatia fans around the world that support me, so very proud, super grateful, so I want to put on a great performance for them, and I look forward to walking out to the Croatian flag and just representing.”
Holding a 100 percent finishing rate, Peričić has a constantly improving mindset, wanting to show a better version of himself each time he steps into the Octagon. He began his professional career in 2019, and now, with six fights under his belt, he is fully focused on becoming a UFC champion.
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And it feels like things have really come full circle for Peričić, who eyes a matchup with Pereira in his future.
“It's funny because in Miami, I crossed paths with Pereira so many times and we obviously stared at each other, and I just thought to myself, ‘I’m going to fight this guy one day. I can feel it,’” Peričić said. “Whether I go down to light heavyweight or he comes up the heavyweight, I think is going to happen.”
Now with the announcement of Pereira moving up to the heavyweight division to face Ciryl Gane for the interim title at the White House in June, that matchup could be in Peričić’s future. For now, the heavyweight is focused on his fight on Saturday against Louie Sutherland, who seeks his first UFC win after getting submitted by Valter Walker in October.
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While Peričič admits this wasn’t a matchup that was on his radar, he accepted when the UFC called.
“There's a lot of big boys in the division that I want to get my hands on,” Peričić said. “I'm not here to just be a UFC fighter and to wear the gear and think I'm all this like. I want to prove myself. I want to test myself, and I want to fight the biggest and the baddest in the world. If it were up to me, I would be fighting a top 10 guy right now. I'm just ready.”
Brando Pericic Knocks Out Elisha Ellison In Round 1 | UFC Perth
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Brando Pericic Knocks Out Elisha Ellison In Round 1 | UFC Perth
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Going from almost quitting MMA to working with Adesanya and the rest of the City Kickboxing crew, and now a few days out from making the walk inside the O2 Arena, is quite a journey for Peričić, and it feels like it is only just beginning.
He is the walking billboard for ‘never give up on yourself,’ and that is what he wants to showcase every time he steps inside the Octagon to compete.
“I was doing it alone for a while, and it's hard, but you get to find yourself, and you get to find out who you are and what you made of. Never give up on yourself. For me, everything after (my debut) was just the cherry on top. I was happy and content with what I did that night, but now we want to become a champion. I want to fight Pereira. I want to fight Gane. I want to fight Aspinall, everybody. I'm here to make a legacy.”
UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy took place live from The O2 in London, England On March 21, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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