Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has endured a lifetime of wars through his 15-year career fighting inside cages.
The 33-year-old has forged a reputation as one of the most hard-nosed scrappers the sport has seen, with a 'no-steps-backwards' style that has earned him a cult following among fans.
It's an approach shaped by the notoriously mean streets of Philadelphia and one which he believes has given him an unwritten advantage in the unforgiving realm of professional combat.
"I think it's given me an edge over other fighters because I don't look at fighting just as kicking, and punching, and wrestling, and grappling. I look at fighting as a non-acceptance of adversity," Alvarez told Newshub.
"I've been dealing with being told 'no' my whole life. As a kid I wanted a whole lot of things that I couldn't have. I wanted a better life, I wanted to live in a better neighbourhood.
"I came into this game a lot more resourceful than the rest of these guys because I learned how to deal with adversity from a very young age."
'The Underground King' is in Detroit for his showdown with Justin Gaethje at UFC 218 on Sunday (NZ time) in a mouth-watering clash which has the potential to be a late contender for fight of the year.
Gaethje is coming off an eye-catching TKO win over Michael Johnson in his debut with the promotion after moving from rivals World Series of Fighting, where he departed as its unbeaten lightweight champion.
Practicing the same ultra-aggressive brand of pugilism to which Alvarez subscribes, even the Philadelphian himself admits he's a fan of the newcomer.
"I've always enjoyed watching Justin fight, how could you not enjoy his style?" asks the 34-5 fighter.
"I appreciate a guy who throws caution to the wind and kind of makes himself vulnerable at points in order to finish fights and please the crowd."
The two squared off as coaches on the latest season of reality show The Ultimate Fighter but, unlike many of their predecessors, the animosity was kept to a minimum.
"Justin's an ace man, hell of a dude. I'd be lying if I told you I didn't like him or that I had a beef with him or something like that. We never really had any issues, he's a lot like myself. We have no problems.
"We had one disagreement, and that's who is going to win on Saturday… and we're about to figure that out in a couple of days."
Both men are part of the murderer's row that is the current lightweight division, widely regarded as the UFC's premier weight class in both depth and quality.
MMA kingpin Conor McGregor currently reins as the division's champion.
Alvarez was the man who conceded him the belt in November 2016, falling victim to a second-round TKO finish to hand the Irishman the second of his world titles.
While he admits he enjoyed being part of the unique circus that comes with a match-up against the transcendent Irish superstar, there's a lingering sense of regret that he wasn't able to defend the belt he'd won in such emphatic fashion just four months earlier.
"I think I thought too tactically about the fight, game-planning and things rather than going in and feeling what's going on and reacting properly," Alvarez says with a grimace.
The loss forced him to the back of the lengthy queue lining up for a shot at the McGregor spoils, and the subsequent bout against Dustin Poirier, ruled a no contest due to illegal blows thrown by Alvarez, did his chances of climbing the ranks no favours.
The former Bellator champion is under no illusions regarding the work ahead if he's to put himself back in line for a shot at the title, adamant that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
"It'd be a blessing to be able to get to do that again and I definitely wouldn't let it slip two times in a row. No doubt in my mind," states the 34-5 fighter.
"I sincerely feel like [Rafael] Dos Anjos was the most dominant and best lightweight champion to ever rule, and I took him out in the first round. In my eyes I beat the most dominant lightweight champion to become champion, and I'll do it again.
"As far as I'm concerned, I'm going to wait my turn, I'm going to beat these guys in front of me, and I'm going to emerge as the number one contender."
Whether or not McGregor is still there for the taking is another question altogether. With over a year now passed without a solitary title defence, there's been a growing chorus of fighters imploring the brash Irishman to vacate his belt.
But Alvarez has no qualms whatsoever with his colleague's posturing, saying McGregor is simply taking the rope that the UFC is feeding him by allowing him to dictate proceedings.
"I wouldn't say it's so much McGregor's fault, but it's the UFC. He's going to take it as far as they let him.
"He can do whatever he wants. Right now, he's the boss of himself."
Although there are no official spoils on the line against Gaethje this weekend, Alvarez claims the victor can lay claim to his newly-coined 'All Violence' title - a moniker which tells you all you need to know about what to expect when the two square off.
"Going out there and letting him know who's boss, letting him know that if he f**ks up even in the slightest degree that I'm going to put him away and knock him out. He's going to know that early by feeling my power," he says ominously.
"I sincerely feel like I'm going to clip him with a shot and if he doesn't go completely out, then I'm probably going to follow up and choke his neck."
Whatever the outcome against Gaethje, there isn't much Alvarez has left to prove to anyone at this stage of his career - except perhaps himself.
"I have a lot of money and I don't need to fight anymore. I enjoy the fact that I'm fighting because I want to fight - I sincerely want to fight.
"I'm a competitive person and I love to grow and improve. Fighting is a daily growth, it's a daily competitiveness.
"I have a sheer curiosity to find out who I am and what I can do, and fighting pushes the limits of that."
The main card of UFC 218 - Aldo vs Holloway starts Sunday 4pm (NZ time).
Newshub.
