Dan Hooker is preparing for the toughest fight of his life at UFC 226, but hopes it will end up being his easiest.
That's the mindset the 28-year-old believes has him covered, if his scheduled three-rounder with Brazilian Gilbert Burns doesn't go to plan.
The Kiwi is riding a three-fight win streak, all via stoppage, which has left Hooker on the brink of UFC's lightweight rankings.
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A win over Burns in Las Vegas on Sunday would accomplish that and likely earn the Aucklander a high-profile feature fight later this year.
Hooker told Newshub he refused to be drawn into predicting the outcome, as that could lead to unwarranted over-confidence.
"I'm going in there expecting the three hardest rounds I've had in my life," Hooker told Newshub.
"If you mentally prepare for the worst, then nothing that happens is a surprise.
"If you spend the entire camp preparing for one of the best fighters in the world, then you are ready for worst-case scenario.
"Prepare for the worst and hope for the best."
'The Hangman' is under no illusions that Burns could very well prove to be his toughest opponent.
The Brazilian is on a two-fight win streak himself, holding an impressive UFC record of 6-2, with all six wins coming via stoppage.
The 31-year-old is a decorated Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt, having won a world championship gold medal in 2011.
Burns' only two professional losses have come via decision and in both, he struggled with his cardio.
But Hooker prefers to focus more on his opponent’s strengths in order to discover new weaknesses.
"I expect that whatever mistakes he has made in the past, he will have corrected. You have to look at it that way.
"That's exactly what I have done with my game. If you go back and look at mistakes that I have made in the past, you will see I am not that same fighter I was a few years ago.
"I look for his strengths, because that is what he is trying to do – I can't wait for him to make mistakes. What I can do is turn his strength into a weakness, because that's what good fighters do.
"This is a very good opponent. We are both coming off a couple of knockout wins and we are carrying a lot of momentum.
"Two guys just outside that top 15 in the world, riding a wave of momentum and both of us have had a hard time getting someone inside the rankings to fight, so whoever gets the job done this weekend catapults themselves into the top 15."
Hooker's clash with Burns will come 24 hours after teammate Israel Adesanya features in the headline fight on the Ultimate Fighter Finale against Hawaiian Brad Tavares.
The Nigerian-born Adesanya is on a sky rocket to UFC superstardom off the back of two impressive wins and his marketable personality.
While not in the Conor McGregor category, Adesanya is an exciting fighter, who isn't afraid to speak his mind.
Hooker is thrilled that young fighters in New Zealand now have role models to look up to, as the MMA's popularity continues to soar.
"It's very exciting for New Zealand having so many guys on the world stage, showing young Kiwis fighters it really is possible.
"When we first started in the sport, I know, me personally, that there was no-one else doing it at an international level.
Now you have three guys from this gym in Auckland, making a living fighting for this promotion and earning good money.
"You can point at us as an example that you can do it.
"It's motivating to me."
Newshub.
