It's a goal Port Macquarie's Matt Bruce has been fighting towards for the past six years - to win an Australian title.
Now, the Rogue MMA kickboxer will have his chance to do just that when he goes up against Ben Hawks in Brisbane on November 18 for the ISKA K1 title.
Bruce said it would be a "dream come true" to win an Australian title.
"Competing for six years, it would be an honour to be the best in Australia in my weight class," he said.
"To bring that Australian title back to my town and gym would mean more to me than a lot of people would realise.
"Some people might think it would just be a belt to me, but it would be a huge achievement in my fighting career."
Bruce said the community's support has been a constant motivation for him in his quest for an Australian title.
"It's a great drive, having the community's support," he said. "I do try to set out to make people happy and please a lot of people."
While Bruce is under no illusions how tough the fight will be, he will be walking into the ring with a slight edge over his opponent after he recently represented Australia in Germany in the ISKA world championships.
"Getting to be in the ring with some of the best fighters in the world was a great honour," Bruce said. "It was a great challenge fighting three times in three days against some of the best people from their countries.
"It was good to be fighting at that level. It [required] a different level of composure and athleticism that I will take with me in my future fights."
Bruce placed seventh in the world for his weight category. He said it was "an honour" to represent Australia on the world stage.
"Germany was a great opportunity for myself and for the gym," he said. "It was an opportunity that I never thought I would get.
"It was a dream to represent my country. Pretty much every athlete in any sport would love the opportunity to represent their country, and I was grateful enough to get that opportunity."
His coach Alex Urbina was happy with the lessons Bruce took away from the world championships.
"There's a big difference between fighting at a lower level where it's all about aggression... and fighting at a higher level where it's all about the game plan, control and making sure to not blow all your energy in the first round," he said.
"That's where he would've grown a lot in his fighting."
After arriving back in Australia, Bruce said he has been keeping the same consistency in his training ahead of the tournament.
"Training hasn't changed since the world titles," he said. "We've kept the same consistency and level of output, and we're just maintaining the same fitness."
Urbina said Bruce's chances on the day will be helped by his "unique fighting style".
"He has a very unique style that I haven't tried to completely change," he said. "He's got a very unique fighting style that is very hard for an opponent to deal with."
IN OTHER NEWS:
