Rising Kiwi UFC prospect Israel Adesanya isn't interested in cutting any corners in his path to the upper echelons of the middleweight division.
The 28-year-old has already fought twice in the five months since he signed on with the promotion and on Tuesday, he announced his next opponent - hardened Hawaiian veteran Brad Tavares in the main event of the 'The Ultimate Fighter' finale in Las Vegas on July 7 (NZT).
Currently ranked 10th in the 185lb (85kg) weight class, Tavares (16-4) represents a significant step up in competition for Adesanya and is yet another strong indication that the UFC have him earmarked for stardom.
'The Last Stylebender' will join just a handful of fighters who have earned main-event status after fewer than three bouts inside the Octagon, a group that includes the likes of Conor McGregor and Brazilian great Anderson Silva.
Either way, the edict remains the same for the undefeated 13-0 fighter, whose combination of electrifying striking and eccentric personality - a proven formula for MMA success - has taken the sport by storm.
"When you're in there, it doesn't matter if it's your first fight or the main event, you're in there to fight," Adesanya told Newshub.
"The only thing I don't like is just waiting and waiting until the fight. Apart from that, I just get in there, all the bullshit's done - it's just time to work."
For Adesanya, it's all part of a natural progression to the top, one he's envisioned since he first penned his highly-anticipated UFC deal in late December, committing fulltime to the sport after a decorated career as a kickboxer.
"The company's seen in me now what I've known about myself for years, its nothing new - I just have to ride it out."
His upcoming opponent favours the grappling side of MMA, leaning on his wrestling and jiu-jitsu to typically grind his way to fairly unremarkable decision wins.
While it's a style that traditionally provides the foil to Adesanya's dynamic kickboxing approach, the Kiwi has proven he's adept at defending the takedown - the staple of a wrestler, without which his game is effectively nullified.
The threat Tavares presents is far from cause for concern for the ultra-confident Kiwi, who sees the ideal opportunity to showcase his diverse arsenal of strikes after being somewhat restricted in his last bout against the "weird" Marvin Vettori.
"I'm excited. This guy's going to be more tailor-made for me to show off my striking.
"If he wants to try to wrestle me, he's welcome to try, but I wouldn't advise it."
In fact, Tavares apparently had reservations about originally accepting the bout, leading Adesanya to take to social media and apply some pressure in an attempt to force his hand.
"He said no initially and I've got the text to prove it.
"That put him in a corner - you don't want to look like a bitch in front of the whole world, but I'm glad he took the fight... another guy I get to take care of on my way to the top."
It will be a case of business as usual in the lead-up to the bout for the precocious Nigerian-born prodigy, whose years switching between combat sports disciplines have left him well-conditioned to a high work rate.
Victory would push him into the middleweight's official top 15 rankings and put him in line to test his mettle against the division's elite talent.
Not that he's feeling any extra pressure.
"Same shit, different guy. We just keep the same energy, keep levelling up.
"I haven't stopped training since the last fight. It's a quick turnaround and I'm used to it, it's nothing new to me.
"Pressure makes diamonds and I'm shining right now."
Newshub.
