The odds are against Glasgow fighter Davie Galbraith realising his dream of fighting for the UFC - but he insists he always performs at his best when he's the underdog, reports Stef Lach.

Galbraith, 29, is trying out for the UFC's reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) for the fourth time, having been rejected on three occasions. And with his record of nine wins and seven losses not as attractive as TUF bosses usually hope for, coupled with the fact he lost his last fight - against Danny Henry in Edinburgh - he knows his chances of making it fourth time lucky when he travels to Las Vegas for the trials on Monday, April 27, are not overwhelmingly positive.

But this is a new day for the fighter known as 'The Gladiator'. First of all he has moved his New Life Gym to a new premises in Glasgow's West End and his Gladiatorial Combat fighting team has been disbanded and replaced with a team called Resurgence. On top of that, the Scottish MMA scene has never had the spotlight on it in the way it does now. Robert Whiteford is an established UFC fighter and Joanne Calderwood is undoubtedly being earmarked as one of its future stars. Fife fighter Stevie Ray this week became the third Scot to sign with the organisation - which will make its debut in Scotland when it comes to The Hydro in Glasgow on July 18.

Galbraith says: "I know my record isn't as padded as they like it to be and I lost my last fight. But I've always performed better when I'm the underdog, when nobody expects me to do well. That's when I thrive.

"It's now or never for me, this is do or die. I hope that this time the UFC will look at these tryouts and base their decision on skills rather than by just looking at records. Also, with the UFC coming to Scotland, they will hopefully be looking for guys to fight on that card and I'm going to make sure they know exactly who I am and what I can do."

He admits he's not a fan of the reality TV format, but Galbraith knows that TUF offers a legitimate route to the MMA big time. "I think reality TV encourages people to behave in a way that they normally wouldn't," he says. "The things people do on some of these shows is amazing. But for me, if I'm lucky enough to get picked, it's all about fighting and proving myself against top level opposition."

As if the jaunt to the US wasn't enough to focus on, Galbraith has signed on to fight in Newcastle on Saturday, April 25 - the day before he flies out to Vegas. His reason is simple - a win against David Young will make his record a more respectable 10-7, but a defeat would surely signal disaster.

He says: "I had the fight booked before I knew when the TUF trials would be held. I didn't want to pull out of the fight, so it's going ahead. Obviously, my plan is to finish it as quickly as possible and to take no damage. It's risky, I know that, but that's how MMA goes sometimes. You have to take risks to progress. I come back up the road right after the fight then fly to Vegas for the trials on Monday. It's going to be an interesting weekend!"

Galbraith is asking for sponsors to help fund his trip. Anyone interested in helping out can contact him via the New Life Gym website at www.newlifeglasgow.com