American UFC star Luke Rockhold has paid an emotional tribute to his late father ahead of Sunday's middleweight showdown against Cuban Yoel Romero at Perth Arena.
Rockhold was initially meant to be fighting middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in UFC 221, but that title bout was scrapped last month after the Australian pulled out through illness.
Instead, Rockhold will face Romero for the interim belt, with the winner set to take on Whittaker later this year in a title bout.
Rockhold won the middleweight title in 2015, and he is desperate to climb the summit yet again.
But to earn another shot at the title, he needs to take down Romero; a man who won a silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and is nicknamed the 'Soldier of God'.
Rockhold comes from a unique sporting family.
His brother Matt Rockhold is a professional surfer.
And his father Steve Rockhold was a professional basketballer who spent a stint in Europe.
After his basketball career finished, Steve worked in construction and as a counsellor so he could support his young family.
He passed away in 2016 at the age of 66, and Luke said his father would always remain in his heart.
"He tried to do everything he possibly could to give us a life we wanted," Rockhold said.
"My dad worked seven days a week just to support us. He slaved away to put us into our sports programs, paid for wrestling and ju-jitsu trips and stuff like that. He was very supportive.
"I'm truly grateful for what he did. I loved my dad. I loved what he did for me.
"He was a special human. He had his demons like everyone else. But I'll always remember him."
Rockhold will start as a warm favourite against Romero.
And he scoffed at talk that Romero's extensive wrestling background would give the Cuban an important advantage when it came to grappling on Sunday.
"He's the best wrestler to have ever graced the sport. But he's an explosive wrestler, he's not a positional wrestler," Rockhold said.
"He can't compete with me on the ground. And he'll learn. He'll find that out."
Australian heavyweight Mark Hunt is part of the main card on Sunday, and he will improve his chances of earning a world title bout if he can beat American Curtis Blaydes.
Former Sydney Roosters junior Tai Tuivasa takes on Frenchman Cyril Asker in a heavyweight bout.
Tuivasa's brother-in-law, world No.13 heavyweight Tyson Pedro, takes on Russian Saparbek Safarov.
Victorian Jake 'The Celtic Kid' Matthews is also on the main card, taking on China's Li Jingliang in a welterweight bout.
UFC 221 MAIN CARD
Middleweight, five rounds: Yoel Romero (12-2-0) v Luke Rockhold (16-3-0)
Heavyweight, three rounds: Mark Hunt (13-11-1) v Curtis Blaydes (8-1-0)
Heavyweight, three rounds: Tai Tuivasa (8-0-0) v Cyril Asker (9-3-0)
Welterweight, three rounds: Jake Matthews (12-3-0) v Li Jingliang (14-4-0)
Light heavyweight, three rounds: Tyson Pedro (6-1-0) v Saparbek Safarov (8-1-0)
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