Kiwi Dan Hooker is preparing for war, when he headlines UFC Fight Night Auckland in February.
The seventh-ranked lightweight will face American striker Paul Felder at Spark Arena in his first-ever UFC main event.
Hooker, who would position himself in the conversation for a title shot with victory, admitted the fight was a must-win.
"I haven't even thought about losing, because it's not an option," Hooker said. "My back is against the wall.
"In this venue, here, on this land, he will have to put me out cold. I will fight tooth and nail to the death, I promise you that."
On Wednesday, the two came face-to-face for the first time and shared an intense staredown outside the arena where they will do battle in two months' time.
Hooker has been agitated by what he perceives as disrespect from Felder on social media. 'The Irish Dragon' has made flippant comments about New Zealand and Hooker's pedigree as a top-10 contender.
"After my last fight, he started making fun of me and things around me.
"That respect - that gentlemen's agreement - is now off the table, because I've got something coming for him.
"There is definitely a little bit of bad blood there now."
As he enters enemy territory, Felder is happy to play the bad guy, when the two meet inside the Octagon.
But the sixth-ranked lightweight contender hopes a memorable fight will earn him some new fans from Hooker's home country.
"This is the fight game, man," Felder said. "We are not best friends, but we are going to fist-fight at the end of the day, so If he says he wants to smash my face and I poke little bit of fun back at him, it's all in good fun.
"We want to sell this stadium out. I want to take some of his momentum and build myself up - I want to gain a lot more fans here in New Zealand.
"People here will go nuts for this fight."
