Former UFC contender Tyson Pedro has confirmed his first boxing bout since retiring from MMA, and revealed a part of his switch to the sport that took him completely by surprise.

Pedro will be taking on Australian heavyweight champion, Kris Terzievski, for the vacant WBC International Bridgerweight title, in an exclusive Stan pay-per-view fight on June 12 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.

Terzievski, who famously beat NRL legend turned boxer Paul Gallen, is a tough opponent – but Pedro says that’s what he wants.

‘Would you respect me if I took a walkover?’ Pedro asked Daily Mail Australia.

‘I think if I had done that in front of the Australian boxing fans they would have taken the p**s out of me because I was taking the piss out of them.’

UFC star Tyson Pedro (pictured) has confirmed his first boxing bout since retiring from MMA

Pedro will take on Australian heavyweight champion, Kris Terzievski (pictured right; Aussie boxing great Danny Green middle)

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Pedro, who has dreamed of being a WBC boxing champion, admits he’d never heard of the bridgerweight division until fairly recently.

The division, introduced by the WBC in 2020, is a ‘bridger’ between heavyweight and crusierweight – with a top weight limit of 224 pounds (101kgs).

‘I hadn’t heard of it… but when we spoke to Mauricio Sulaimán (president of the WBC). He said bridgerweight was the go.

Pedro has spoken to Paul Gallen about fighting Terzievski, but isn’t sure his advice would be overly helpful.

‘I couldn’t really take tips from Paul because Paul is such a different fighter to me,’ Pedro explained.

‘I can ask him how hard he hits – but you can also ask Paul how hard I hit. We’ve sparred rounds.’

Pedro, who was a standout amateur boxer in his youth, says the return to the ring is going smoothly.

‘Using the different energy systems has been very noticeable,’ he explained.

Pedro (pictured with his dad John) says he took such a tough opponent because people wouldn’t respect him if he hadn’t

Pedro will step into the ring on June 12 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion

‘The shorter rounds are more explosive, and it suits my style.’

Boxing legend Danny Green hailed Pedro’s courage to take on such a tough opponent.

‘Tyson could not have picked a harder target for his return to boxing from UFC,’ he said.

‘Tyson was an amateur NSW Intermediate Champion before he moved to MMA. Terzievski is the current Australian Heavyweight Champion and number 5 in the WBC rankings. He is experienced, clever, cagey and tough.

‘He’s a Southpaw which makes him awkward and he has a wealth of experience in the boxing ring.

‘I couldn’t convince Tyson to take an easier fight first up. He’s up for the challenge and wants to make clear to the boxing world that he’s the real deal.

‘He is here to shake things up in Australian boxing and only wants the toughest challenge. He has proven he has the X factor and he has the skill, power and motivation to win this contest.’