Rising Kiwi lightweight John 'Trouble' Brewin has been forced to patiently bide his time, as he's awaited news of his next opponent with burgeoning young MMA promotion Brave CF.
Back in March, the Aucklander derailed the hype train of Cian Cowley - one of Irish superstar Conor McGregor's teammates and sparring partners - with a decision win in Manila and he's been tapping his fingers ever since.
"It has been a pretty frustrating wait," Brewin told Newshub. "Only because I'm always wanting to go straight away.
"If I'd known that I was going to take 5-6 months off, I would've got another tattoo or grown a ponytail or something like that."
But the 25-year-old finally has another date circled on his calendar, with confirmation that he'll square off with Polish slugger Maciek Gierszewski in the main event of Brave 28 in Bucharest, Romania, on November 4.
And there have been several false starts.
"This is the third opponent I've said yes to. If those guys don't want to fight me, as far as I'm concerned, they've forfeited and that puts me 4-0 [in last four fights]."
Although still in his mixed martial arts infancy at 5-1, the former schoolboy rugby star has made quite an impression at Brave - a Middle East-based fight promotion that has quickly become one of the planet's fastest-growing fight organisations.
Founded in 2016 by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa - a member of the Bahraini royal family - it's hosted events from Abu Dhabi, across Europe, and as far afield as Colombia.
Next month, it'll stage a four-man, one-night, open-weight tournament, where the winner walks away with US$100,000 and a belt plated with 6.2kg of gold - allegedly more than you'll find in the FIFA World Cup's Jules Rimet trophy - just to give you an idea of their ambition.
Brewin's used his extra time wisely, refining his overall fight craft and further polishing his showpiece striking back in tropical Indonesia, where he lives and trains at the thriving combat hotspot of Bali MMA.
Under Kiwi head striking coach Mike Ikilei, the gym has fast established itself as one of Asia's premiere production lines and, let's face it, not the worst place to spend an extended lay-off.
"It's a blessing in disguise. A long time without a paycheck, but other than that, it's an investment in the future in terms of my skills… getting my strength and diet and conditioning right.
"My jiu-jitsu has come a long way, my wrestling has come a long way and my stand-up is really sharp as well."
Now it's all about getting back into action and putting those skills to the test against Gierszewski, who has the kind of reputation within the promotion that Brewin plans to leverage to his own advantage, much as he did with Cowley.
"I can't pronounce his name, but there's a lot of tape on him. He's definitely been around the block.
"I'm going back-to-back against fighters with a ton of hype behind them, so I'm looking to get a big finish in the first or second round against this guy. One or two more fights, and I should be in there fighting for the belt.
"It's an interesting match-up and I think I have the advantage in every facet of the game."
Adding to Brewin's enthusiasm to return to combat has been the recent global success of his compatriots on the global stage. Recently crowned UFC world champion Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker are leading a golden era for New Zealand sports, and Brewin - a staunchly proud Māori - wants to get in on the party.
"There's been a massive wave of motivation coming from the boys back home, fighting out of my hometown in Auckland. Seeing them win belts and do sellout shows is incredible.
"The first UFC I ever watched live was when Dan [Hooker] got his shot against Ian Entwhistle on the first Auckland card, when they gave him a leg up, as if he didn't deserve to be there. Now look where he is, training fulltime and taking out top contenders like Al Iaquinta.
"It's bloody impressive and very motivating."
Recharged, refreshed, and rumbling with hunger, expect the best iteration of Brewin yet to take the cage - as always, draped in his New Zealand flag - in Bucharest next month.
"I'm absolutely frothing for it. It's the longest lay-off I've had since turning professional, but it's not like I don't fight and compete everyday in the gym, and push myself to the max.
"I get a new stamp in my passport and fight in Europe for the first time. I hear the Romanian people are a mixed bag, so it'll be fun.
"I'm keen to take one of the boys and just go hang out for five days, then finish the guy on a Monday night - which is kind of strange."
Newshub.
