Cam Rowston has two speeches ready for Abu Dhabi.
Which one he delivers depends on whether the crowd gives the man known as “Battle Giraffe” what he’s been waiting for.
A good booing.
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The Aussie middleweight faces Abus Magomedov at UFC 333 this weekend, chasing another win in a division he reckons he can trouble the best in.
Then, if all goes to plan, he wants the microphone.
And a chance to finally play the bad guy.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to turn villain,” Rowston told Fox Sports Australia.
“When I was watching the WWE a lot as a kid, a lot of my favourite superstars were the heels.
“So it would be very welcome if I could play up to that heel persona.”
There is, however, a condition.
The crowd has to start it.
“I’m waiting for my moment. I’m gonna need some heavy heckling from the crowd and some booing,” he said.
“I don’t want to agitate and make them do it. It needs to come a little bit natural.
“It might happen here. It might not happen here.
“I feel like the crowd here in Abu Dhabi is a little bit more welcoming than you would be, say, if you went over to France or to the UK to fight one of their guys.”
Either way, Rowston has prepared.
“I’ve got a couple of callouts in mind that I’m planning. Depends if I get booed or not,” he said.
“So I’ve got one speech ready and I’ve got another speech ready.”
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First, of course, he has to beat Magomedov.
And while the Aussie hasn’t gone looking for boos, he has already been looking for holes in his opponent’s game.
Rowston and coach Brogan Anderson had studied the German-based middleweight before the fight was even offered, looking at his habits and discussing how to counter them.
“It was a welcome opponent because unknowingly we’d already done a little bit of study and breakdown on it,” he said.
Their encounter in the hotel lobby this week was friendly enough.
A handshake. A greeting.
And confirmation that the Battle Giraffe still had the height advantage.
“I had a little, a few inches on him, maybe two inches on him,” Rowston said.
As for the prospect of two battle giraffes going at it?
“A couple of lanky dudes throwing arms.”
The nickname comes courtesy of Kiwi striking guru Brad Riddell.
When Rowston moved from Sydney to City Kickboxing in 2019, Riddell helped show him what being a professional fighter actually required.
“He was kind of like the example of how to behave as a professional fighter and conduct yourself as a professional athlete,” Rowston said.
“He taught me a lot.”
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The pair have been reunited in Abu Dhabi after more than a year without seeing each other, with Riddell now getting to watch his former gymmate compete in the UFC.
As for whether Rowston can mix it with the division’s best?
He gets a fair idea in the gym.
Sharing the mats with Israel Adesanya and Carlos Ulberg has convinced the Australian he can compete with the best in the division.
“I’ve watched a lot of the top guys in the middleweight division. I’ve watched them come up through the rankings and stuff before I was in the UFC,” he said.
“I’ve always kind of thought as I watched these guys fight, like, man, I can hang with these guys. I can do this.
“I train with some of the best guys in the world, you know, Ulberg, Adesanya, and I hold my own against them.”
Against Magomedov, he expects those skills to be tested on the feet and the floor.
“He’s willing to strike. I’m willing to strike. He loves to grapple,” Rowston said.
“A lot of his wins have come by grappling. I can grapple as well, just as good if not better than him.”
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This will be his third fight of the year, and another three appearances over the following 12 months would suit him nicely.
But while Rowston backs himself against the best in the cage, there is one booking he reckons he hasn’t earned.
A spot in Volk’s kitchen.
Sharing another card with Alexander Volkanovski has given Rowston a fresh appreciation of the Windang legend’s pulling power, with the crowds and media attention in Abu Dhabi exceeding what he witnessed in Sydney.
An appearance on Cooking with Volk, though, might have to wait.
“He doesn’t let any old schmuck on there,” Rowston grinned.
“You’ve got to have a bit of a reputation.
“I think I’ve got to earn my way onto that.”
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