With barely two weeks to prepare, Tristan Connelly stepped forward.
Vancouver's Connelly (11-6) will face off against Las Vegas' Zach Juusola (11-5) in a 160-pound catchweight matchup at Final Fight Championship 36 in Las Vegas, NV on Thursday night.
After studying Juusola's approach, Connelly, who typically competes at lightweight, believes his opponent prefers a measured, patient striking game—a style he thinks won't work well against him.
"He's excellent at staying patient and counter-striking when you enter his distance. That's not my game," Connelly explained.
"I press forward and stay aggressive. I expect he'll struggle to handle that pace."
The 33-year-old Connelly, known as a finisher throughout his career, boasts eleven professional wins—all of them stopping before the final bell goes, with six coming inside the opening round.
Connelly outlined several scenarios for how this bout could unfold and plans to capitalize on whichever opportunity presents itself first.
"It starts standing, so I'll engage on the feet. If I'm winning there, I'll stay there. If I encounter resistance or spot an opening to shoot, I'll take it," Connelly said.
"It's mixed martial arts for a reason, and I'm a mixed martial artist. I believe I can defeat him wherever we end up. I think I'm going to finish this, but I know I'm going to win."
Merely three days earlier, Connelly had been in Ottawa, Ont. working in his teammate's corner during Cole Smith's UFC debut, where Smith earned a unanimous decision victory over Mitch Gagnon. Before that stint, Connelly was in Tokyo supporting Bibiano Fernandes in his One FC championship bout.
While the UFC dream is already driving Connelly, spending fight week with Smith and witnessing the inner workings of a major promotion gave him additional fuel to chase that goal.
"Watching how top organizations operate—everything from A to Z—it's incredibly inspiring and has made me even more driven."
Juusola Fully Prepared
Once Connelly became his opponent, Juusola, 31, began his preparation immediately. He scoured YouTube for fight footage and even purchased several of Connelly's past pay-per-view bouts. Juusola left no stone unturned.
After reviewing all the material, Juusola identified his primary edge: his vision, timing, and ability to scramble.
"I'd rank myself among the top scramblers in the sport. Ask Julian Erosa, Kevin Lee, Sean Sherk, Jacob Volkmann, or Nik Lentz—they'll confirm I'm a beast," Juusola claimed.
"I read fights. I've got what it takes, and I'm ready for this."
Regarding striking, Juusola sees a sharp contrast between his approach and Connelly's.
Juusola describes his striking as loose and snapping, whereas he views Connelly as a more aggressive, "pushy" type of fighter.
"Between his forward pushes, I'll be landing quick snaps. When I connect, it'll sting. It might not look brutal to spectators, but I'll be cutting him, breaking his nose, rocking him," Juusola said.
"He'll realize I'm a complete fighter, and after this fight, he'll know I'm dangerous."
Over the course of his career, Juusola has trained alongside elite fighters, including Conor McGregor ahead of his rematch against Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov during his buildup to facing Tony Ferguson.
Juusola believes that if he can hold his own against the world's best, there's nothing Connelly can throw at him he hasn't already seen.
"If I can compete with these guys, there's no way this little fu**ing nerd can compete with me," Juusola said.
"I've knocked people out with slams before. He lacks that drive. He lacks that fire. He doesn't have the same power as me."
Connelly's Shoutouts
"I'd like to thank everyone from my gym Checkmat Vancouver, The Sound Martial Arts, Revolution Martial Arts, Roll Jiu-Jitsu Academy, and Universal MMA. I'd also like to thank my sponsors Body Energy Club, Synergy Health Centre, and my wife."
Juusola's Shoutouts
"I want to thank all my coaches and training partners, my family, my girlfriend, and to God for putting me in this place and being in my corner through everything."
