UFC: Palelei's rough start pushes him to focus on opponent

Soa Palelei. Photo / Getty Images

When Soa Palelei walks towards the octagon he looks upbeat.

He's a placid guy, but when the bell goes the Australian UFC heavyweight takes on his alter ego, which is also his nickname: "The Hulk".

Newcastle-raised but now based in Perth, the 36-year-old came through a rough upbringing where he even spent time living under someone's house after running away from home.

When he was at home, Palelei said his family regularly survived on little more than a loaf of bread and a jar of jam and that background helps him channel his focus towards his next opponent in the cage.

"When I'm in there I kind of think: 'This kid stole my lunch when I was at school'. I was pretty poor back in the day," he said.

After he beat South African Ruan Potts with a first round TKO at UFC Fight Night 40 in Cincinnati last month, Palelei moved into the UFC's heavyweight rankings for the first time and is currently 14th.

His first foray into the world's premier mixed martial arts promotion was brief when he was stopped in the third round by Eddie Sanchez in 2007 and subsequently released. It took him nearly six years to fight his way back to the big time. With an elite ground and pound game, dominant wrestling and powerful striking, Kiwis can see The Hulk take on American Jared Rosholt (10-1) at UFC Fight Night 43 at Vector Arena, Auckland next Saturday.

"He's an explosive fighter and so am I so I don't see this fight going past the first round," Palelei said. "Either Jared's going to knock me out or I'm going to knock him out."

Following his victory over Potts last month he was offered the chance to compete in Auckland. Given he has family here he decided it was a chance to showcase his skills in front of them.

At 1.93m and 120kg, Palelei has the rare physical tools and his sporting background is varied, including rugby, league, and wrestling.

After taking up boxing as a youth to stay out of trouble, Palelei's Brazilian jiu-jitsu training mixed with his size, strength and grappling led him to MMA.

In 2002, he won his first MMA match via TKO and began an incredible stretch: in 24 professional bouts -- 21 wins and three losses -- he has never seen a fight go to the judges.