Louie Sutherland was on a normal night shift when he got a notification that changed his life.Sutherland, 31, received a message from UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard while working on the railway that got the ball rolling for his eventual switch to Dana White‘s promotion. Sutherland boasts a professional MMA record of 10-3 and makes his UFC debut in Perth this weekendGettyHaving been crowned the heavyweight champion at Dutch promotion, Levels Fight League (LFL), Sutherland knew his UFC contract was close, but he didn’t quite expect his debut to come in this manner.The London-born Scot has been thrown straight into the deep end, as he features on the main card of UFC Perth on Sunday morning.Sutherland faces New Zealand heavyweight Justin Tafa at RAC Arena, before Carlos Ulberg takes on Dominick Reyes in the main event of the Australian UFC Fight Night card.Ahead of his debut, Sutherland sat down with talkSPORT.com and revealed how his UFC move came about.Louie Sutherland had first UFC contact during railway night shift“Once I signed with LFL over in Holland, the plan was always to stay active, because activity has always been my bread and butter,” Sutherland explained.“So initially, once I’d won the belt, a few days after, I got onto my management team and said, ‘Let’s make the [UFC] calls, let’s make it happen. “It went a bit quiet until I got an Instagram message from Mick Maynard.“I was on the railway working. It was about 2 am in the morning. We’re about to do a job, get out of the van, and I’m like, ‘Oh f***,’ Mick Maynard’s just messaged me. “That’s how it first happened, and then a few weeks or so went by, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I was told I was in and had a contract.“I thought it was for Dana White’s Contender Series originally, and someone had pulled out, but my manager said, ‘You’re in. Justin Tafa, Australia.’ I was like, ‘F*** yeah, let’s go.Sutherland was working a 10pm-6am night shift on the railway when he was first contacted by the UFCGetty“I was buzzing. I was walking my dog at the time. I was in the park and it was p***ing down with rain.“No one was about, and I just gave a little fist pump and punched the air. I took the dog home and went to training straight away.”What is Louie Sutherland’s MMA record?Sutherland has won 10 of his 13 professional MMA bouts.‘The Vanilla Gorilla’ entered the pro scene at various regional promotions across the UK in 2021, before getting his chance at the PFL playoffs in 2022.Although he suffered a unanimous decision defeat, Sutherland was invited back and impressed at the PFL Challenger Series the following year, stopping Alton Meeks in the second round.Sutherland then traded a win for two losses under the LFL, FightStar Championship, and Bellator banners before embarking on a four-fight winning streak that earned him a spot in the UFC.Sutherland made his mark on the heavyweight scene by finishing Meeks under the PFL banner in February 2023GettyHe defeated fellow Brit Luke Newland in his last fight to win the LFL heavyweight title, and now makes his UFC debut on enemy territory against Tafa.But that’s one thing the British heavyweight is more than used to.Sutherland: Fighting the home favourite gives me an extra buzz“I think I’ll be perfectly fine,” Sutherland added, speaking of fighting on opposition soil.“I don’t mind going into enemy territory and fighting. I think it’s quite fun. It actually gives me an extra buzz.“I remember fighting in Paris last year, and that was some buzz as well, with the French fans booing me. I don’t mind. Someone’s got to be the heel.”Sutherland admitted his fight against Tafa is the biggest of his career, but he doesn’t feel any extra pressure heading into the bout.Sutherland feels no added pressure heading into a fight he has described as the biggest of his lifeGetty“If I said it wasn’t the biggest fight of my career, I’d be lying,” he concluded.“I don’t put any pressure on that. There’s always pressure involved, but I don’t go, ‘This is the biggest fight of my life.’ I don’t view it that way. I just think it’s another day in the office.“It is the biggest fight of my career. It’ll be a defining fight, and it’s where you want to be. “Anytime you set out to become a professional MMA fighter, the UFC is always where you want to be.”Sutherland has been training at Fight Zone and Rival Boxing Gym, as well as Great Britain Top Team with British MMA pioneer Brad Pickett, in preparation for the fight.He has also been up north to learn from UFC champion Tom Aspinall, who has been inviting the best heavyweights in the world to his gym ahead of his fight with Ciryl Gane at UFC 321.