Most fighters edging towards 40 years of age are deep in the midst of their twilight - either eyeing retirement or, at the very least, contemplating life beyond the world's most testing combat arena.
Not so for UFC middleweight Dan Kelly. In fact, he's just getting started.
The man once referred to by Australian media as 'the grey-haired Aussie legend with a bit of a Dad bod' is fresh off a career milestone win over former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, and suddenly finds himself propelled into his division's upper echelon.
Currently in the thick of preparations to face Derek Brunson in the co-main event at the UFC Fight Night in Auckland next month, Kelly's self-belief is at an all-time high.
"It was a big, big, big win for me," Kelly told Newshub.
"I was such a big fan of [Evans] as well. It just goes to show what sticking to a good game plan can do."
"It was really good for my confidence, that’s for sure."
It's a game plan essentially identical to that which he'll be taking into his fight with Brunson - how to cope with a fighter with both a wrestling base and significant punching power in the stand-up aspect.
"I think he'll hit harder than Rashad [Evans] but I think Rashad's tech boxing is probably better.
"When wrestlers hide their shots behind punches then it becomes a little bit more difficult, but I've worked really hard on that again.
"I'd love to get hold of the guy. Once I'm in a clinch with anyone, I don’t mind."
And with good reason.
The Melburnian was born and raised on a Judo mat, progressing to the sport's highest levels with a total of four Olympics appearances spanning almost 15 years and peaking with a 7th place finish in Athens in 2004.
A natural curiosity lead to him dabbling in mixed martial arts, making his professional debut in 2006 at the Dojo KO fight night in his native Victoria, a short-lived promotion which employed an unusual hybrid of judo/grappling and striking.
Kelly won that bout by literally tossing his opponent out of the ring – and he's been hooked ever since.
"I loved mixed martial arts, I loved the old Pride days – I was watching it on VHS.
"I thought I'd have a go and see how it'd work out, and it's ended up being pretty successful."
It wasn't until six years later that he was able to compete in MMA again after Judo commitments put those ambitions on hold, as a string of wins through the local circuit lead to Kelly trying out for The Ultimate Fighter reality show in late 2013 as part of an Australian team which took on Canada.
While Kelly was eliminated early in the show's tournament in what he described as an overall "horrible" experience, it did lead him being signed up to appear on the UFC's Fight Night in Sydney where a head-turning first-round submission win saw him signed to a multi-fight deal.
Now seven bouts into his UFC tenure and currently on a four-fight win streak, those early doubts seem a distant memory.
Kelly has since attracted a cult following among fight fans as the embodiment of the 'true blue Aussie battler' – a hard grafter who compensates for his lack of natural physical gifts with a dogged approach to competition and training, then clocks off to spend the evening with his wife and kids.
A win against Brunson would see him likely crack the middleweight divison's top 10, and Kelly expects nothing less as his initially modest goals continue to evolve.
"When I first got into the UFC the aim was to have 10 fights. Then I thought it'd be nice to be ranked, and I'm ranked 15th at the moment.
"I think my pressure will be too much for [Brunson], I think he'll get too tired and it'll either be a decision or ill finish him in the second or third round."
The 39-year-old has fought four of his last five fights in his homeland and, in the ANZAC spirit, is expecting plenty of partisan support in Auckland.
"We're neighbours, they're going to have a choice of cheering for an American or an Aussie then hopefully you'd think they'd pick the Aussie," Kelly laughs.
"I've got a lot of friends in New Zealand from my judo career, so I'm really looking forward to coming over and I love New Zealand as well, so it's going to be really cool."
Despite his recent rise Kelly promptly dispels any suggestion of a potential title shot in his future, stopping short of admitting he's simply happy to be in the vicinity.
"It's all clichéd to say I'll take it one fight at a time, but win another couple of fights then we'll see where we're at.
"I want to push this as far as I can and see how far I can go, but I won't put any limits on myself either."
As for his formula for 20 years of success at a world-class level across two sporting disciplines, it's predictably simple.
"I'm pretty honest about what I do training wise and work wise. I've got a family, I've got a business, there's no secret to what I do it's just hard work.
"It just shows that if you work hard and you push for something, anything is possible."
Newshub.
