City Kickboxing sensei Eugene Bareman may have known the news was coming, but that didn't make it any easier to process.
Last week, confirmation finally arrived that star pupil Israel Adesanya's middleweight title unification bout against Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 would be hosted by Melbourne as part of a landmark event that will likely attract a record crowd of 60,000 spectators at Marvel Stadium.
It's a figure Bareman admits he's still wrapping his head as he looks - albeit cautiously - ahead to what he believes will be the most significant step yet for for both the Auckland gym and the sport of MMA in Aotearoa.
"I'm still flabbergasted," Bareman told Newshub. "Like wow, this is really happening."
"It's not like we did it because we haven't done it yet, there's still a lot of things that need to be done, but it's close - you can reach out and touch it.
The mastermind behind a wave of New Zealand talent stamping their mark in the UFC, Bareman says it's an occasion that will reflect the influx of combat talent beyond just the four walls of his own gym.
You only need to look as far as those four walls for proof of MMA's popularity boom, with Bareman forced to shift to larger premises just around the corner in Eden Terrace to accommodate for the huge growth in demand for his and his colleagues' services.
"From in the back of my mind knowing that this country could do something this great but not knowing when it would ever happen.
"We're now doing historic things that I thought we could do and we're doing it within my lifetime."
One thing he was certain about was that Adesanya would eventually be in a position to challenge for a UFC world title.
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That moment has come a tad quicker than he initially expected, after 'The Last Stylebender'' bulldozed his way to the number one contender position in the space of just 15 months. But it's one the pair have been discussing since before Adesanya's promotional debut, when they placed a tentative target on 'The Reaper'.
"We've been putting this almost unattainable and unachievable goal out there into the atmosphere, because that's the very start of it possibly happening. We've been talking about Robert [Whittaker] and different things he does from a technical point of view.
"That's something we're taking very, very seriously and that's something that me and Israel talked about before he was in the UFC and Robert first became champion… now it's come to fruition."
The Nigerian-born Kiwi is currently the holder of the interim middleweight title following his enthralling win over Kelvin Gastelum in April. It's a belt that effectively represents the division's number one contender, and both fighter and coach realise the road to the real silverware goes through Whittaker.
"That's something that we have to put to bed now," Bareman said of the interim title. "Robert's the champion and it's our job to go in there to enemy territory and wrestle that belt off that man."
While understandably reluctant to go into too much detail, Bareman and his wider team - that includes wrestling coach Andrei Paulet and striking specialist Tristram Apikitoa - are already in the process of devising a plan to solve the Whittaker puzzle. The Sydney-based fighter hasn't lost since 2014 and is currently riding a nine-fight win streak.
"My team's going to do what we always do and put together a multi-phased, multi-faceted game plan that gives us several offshoots to go to.
"We have a saying that we leave no stone unturned, so we're taking care of everything. It's a huge task - all that analytics and all that coaching - but you couldn't get a huger fight, so we have to get the job done."
He'll also be using his ever-increasing sway to have the rest of the card filled out with some lesser-known NZ prospects that he thinks deserve a chance to prove themselves on the big stage.
Hamilton's Luke Jumeau has already been officially named on the undercard in a bout with Dhiego Lima. Dan Hooker literally demanded to be added after his demolition of James Vick in San Antonio a fortnight ago, while Kai Kara-France (pending the outcome of his fight in China next month) and Shane Young are both eager to be a part of the occasion.
"You want as many Kiwi fighters as possible. I'm also looking for some new blood to be on that card. I think there's plenty of talent in this gym and other places in NZ that there's a spot on this card for someone new to jump on it.
That may include the likes of City Kickboxing's own Brad 'Quake' Riddell, a versatile striker who's been making waves in China, or Kieran Joblin, a Christchurch-based lightweight who's impressed in ONE Championship's Warrior series.
Either way, Bareman hopes that the impact of Adesanya's historic headline act will send shockwaves throughout the wider Kiwi sporting world and help push MMA further into the national mainstream, while leaving a lasting impression on potential combat sports stars of the future.
"What I'm hoping is that the whole country looks at this - that it goes like wildfire through the country. Maybe kids start seeing other options than trying to be a rugby player. There's other sports and particularly this sport - which is very much akin to rugby - there's another path for them.
"Once they see that and once you get generations of young guys coming and wanting to do that, then this country will go to heights that not even I can imagine, because this country is talent rich. There's no doubt."
Newshub.
