If you’re from Liverpool, then usually red or blue are your only two colour options – but hot pink could soon be a surprise choice.
Kurtis ‘The Pink Panther’ Campbell left opponent Trevor Peek without a Clou-seau on how to counter the grappling of the Scouse featherweight at UFC Paris. Campbell dominated the opening two rounds, dragging his opponent to the mat and outwrestling him, before finally forcing the American to tap in the third thanks to a rear-naked choke.
The 24-year-old, who got his nickname during his amateur days after his father joked he would never dare wear pink shorts in the cage, was delighted to claim his first win in the Octagon, especially after some heated pre-fight exchanges with Peek.
He said: “I’m from Liverpool, so if someone gets in my face, I am coming straight back for them.
“But my mum likes me to be a nice lad. She will probably tell me off for this week. I just had to make sure I kept my head on.
“But it’s hard to prepare for someone [like Peek] when I don’t think they know what they’re going to throw.
“It was just about working out his tricky, chaotic style, but I had said harnessing the chaos was going to win me this fight.
“You know, I’m a chess player and, like my coach said, I think Trevor is more of a Connect Four player!
“I wanted a finish. I knew I had to take him into deep water, drown him out, and then that choke was there.”
Having earned a UFC contract with a dominant win on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, Campbell made his debut in London in March with plenty of hype behind him.
However, ‘The Pink Panther’ was made to blush by opponent Danny Silva, who inflicted a first career loss at the O2 Arena.
With things now looking a lot more rosy, Campbell added: “My debut didn’t go the way I wanted it to, or the people wanted it to either.
“I’m glad I got to show what I’m really about and I am the real deal. This is just the start and any little bumps in the road, I’m just going to show how strong I am and come back.
“I think [on my debut] I got caught up in the whole hype myself. I was too excited and maybe too much of a fanboy. This time I had tunnel vision. No one distracted me. I had full focus on Trevor Peek.
“Nothing can really take this moment [winning in Paris] away from me. I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling. I’m just f****** over the moon. I belong in the UFC.”
UP NEXT: Noche UFC, Saturday, 10pm. Jean Silva takes on fellow ranked featherweight Jose Miguel Delgado in Glendale, Arizona, as part of UFC’s Mexican Independence Day celebrations.
MONEY MATCH: Veteran Tim Elliott (7/4) can maintain his place in the flyweight rankings with a win over Edgar Chairez. More odds and full UFC betting available at boylesports.com
FINAL SAY: “I want to give more. The fans deserve more, the UFC deserves more. I know I can give more.” Michael ‘Venom’ Page hopes to have done enough to land another UFC contract after victory over Nursulton Ruziboev in Paris.