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Standing inside the UFC octagon, sweat dripping from his forehead after three hard-fought rounds against American Charles Radtke, Blood Diamond knew what was to come.

The disappointment was clear for the world to see as he awaited the decision at UFC 293 in Sydney; a decision that was going to go against him.

It was Diamond’s last bout with the world’s top mixed martial arts promotion, which cut him from the roster soon afterwards.

“It was one of those where, that last fight, we had one more chance. Like, if I don’t win, that’s it. So you go into training knowing this is your last chance,” Diamond recalls to the Herald.

“I did all I could to win the fight, but sometimes it is what it is. They gave me the worst stylistic match-ups for me but maybe it’s because of my experience in striking. Maybe they could’ve been thinking it would be lopsided. It is what it is.”

Diamond made his UFC debut in 2022, signed with just a 3-0 MMA record but an extensive kickboxing career, which included two King in the Ring titles. He was the first Zimbabwe-born athlete to reach MMA’s pinnacle.

But under the bright lights of the UFC, Diamond failed to shine.

In three bouts with the promotion, he went 0-3, with a loss by submission on his debut, before dropping his next two by decision, though he had some strong moments in both of those performances.

“The UFC didn’t go the way we planned. It is what it is. It’s something I’m proud of.”

Blood Diamond made three appearances in the UFC. Photo / Photosport

While he didn’t get the results he would have liked, signing to the UFC brought a renewed focus for the fighter trained at Auckland’s City Kickboxing gym, as he began to look into how he could help his biological mother relocate to New Zealand. He’ll return to the local kickboxing scene this weekend in the King in the Ring eight-man tournament, looking to move closer to that goal – and collect a third crown.

Diamond’s family relocated from Zimbabwe in the early 2000s as his father and stepmother sought “a better life” in New Zealand.

The 37-year-old estimates it was 10 years before he was able to travel to Zimbabwe to visit his mother, and another 10 years before she was able to make the trip over to visit him.

“It’s a proud thing to do for a son to look after the person who looked after him when they were young,” he says.

“I just want to spend time with her now.”

“I’ve done a lot for myself, but I’m doing it for someone else now.”

As is a familiar story for many, Diamond first stepped foot in a martial arts gym looking to learn how to defend himself after being sick of dealing with bullies.

He was not a natural athlete but fell in love with the sport. He also found a sense of belonging there and, in a period when things got tough, found himself living within the walls of the gym.

He worked hard on the mats and eventually Eugene Bareman, one of the gym’s head coaches, asked Diamond if he wanted to fight. He agreed, but says he never really had dreams of making it to the highest level.

“I got to the pinnacle of the sport. I got to the UFC. It didn’t go my way but I’m not even mad,” he says.

“A lot of people, they dream and wish for all this. All I did was work hard. That’s all I did. I’m sorry, I may have stolen someone’s dream, but I worked hard for this and I got to where I got.

“I have no regrets. I know there will be people who are mad at me and hating on me, but I really don’t care. I’m living my best life.”

While his time in the UFC ended after three bouts, it didn’t extinguish his love for martial arts. He has been active since his release, taking bouts both in MMA and kickboxing, while he has also started a business preparing healthy, African-inspired meals.

Blood Diamond is a two-time King in the Ring champion. Photo / Photosport

He returns to the King in the Ring stage in the light heavyweight tournament on Saturday night, in a higher weight class than his previous two titles have come in. The appearance is shaping as a clash of established talent taking on rising contenders.

It’s another chapter in a story that Diamond has been proud to write.

“It’s just so surreal. Sometimes I cannot believe it, like when I go to fights and I’m like ‘I’m flying somewhere and I didn’t pay for this? I’m living in nice hotels?’, getting all this free gear, being on TV – not just national, but international. Like, my face has been seen all over the world. I’m good, man. I’m happy with that. I may not be like Stylebender or Anderson Silva or GSP, but at the end of the day, I’ve lived my life and, to be honest, it’s not the end," he says.

“If someone can look at my story and take something positive out of it, I’m glad. For me, it’s a success story. When I have kids, I won’t need to be like ‘this person did that’ – I can say I did it. When this happened, I did this. When that happened, I did this.

“This is for me and for those who are listening.”