How excited are you for the fight this weekend?
I’m super pumped man. I’m fighting a good opponent, I’m on the televised card and I’ve trained really hard for this, so I’m really excited and I can’t wait.

You’re fighting one of the leading guys in the UK MMA scene – are any nerves there?
No, not really. You know, I’m coming in as the underdog, so for me there isn’t really any extra pressure, I think if anything it’s going to be on him.

How excited are you to be fighting in the UK?
Very excited. I’ve never been to Manchester and it’s a great city. It’s really, really neat I’ve got to say. We’ve explored things downtown and things like that and we really like it.

Is it a struggle to understand the accents?
(Laughs) A little bit! A little bit!

What sort of pressure is there coming into this fight now you’re 1-1 in the UFC?
It’s important to win every fight, so I don’t care about that too much.

One of the most interesting stats I’ve read lately is that you’ve only been knocked out once in eight years, so how can Bisping beat yourself?
I don’t know man. You know, this is mixed martial arts and anything can happen with those small gloves. We both have equal chances of knocking each other out and doing whatever.

What are Bisping’s strengths then?
He’s got a good record – his only loss before Dan Henderson was to Rashad Evans. He always comes ready and fit and aggressive and always pushes the fight for the next round.

Where would a win over Bisping put you in the division?
I think it puts me closer to a title shot, which is eventually what I’d like. Of course, I understand that I’ve got to respect the other fighters and there are other fighters ahead of me in the rankings. For sure, it puts me at least in the top five.

What sort of differences have you found between PRIDE and the UFC?
I don’t think there is any difference with the fighters, the fighters are good everywhere you go. But, I think the way the UFC does business is a lot more professional and organised than the others.

In Japan, I wouldn’t find out who I was fighting, for maybe two or three before and then they could still change. With the UFC, it’s three months ahead, they really take care of you, if you want to study your opponents fight, they’ll send you a DVD of all their fights in the UFC.

Does that help your preparation then?
Yeah it does, it really does.

How disappointed where you with your UFC debut?
It was a real disappointment at first, but you know, I’ve put it all behind me and I’m actually happy that I fought that fight and learned what I did because if I had not fought that fight, had I pulled out of it, I wouldn’t be the fighter I am today. It taught me a lot.

Looking ahead to the future, is Anderson Silva in your sights?
Yeah, you know, one day I want to fight for the title. If Silva still has the title, then that’s who I want to fight. I don’t really care who it is, but he could lose the title really quick.

How impressed are you with the way UK MMA has developed?
Very impressed. I’ve been walking around the streets of Manchester and I’ve been getting recognised. You can see that MMA has got a stronghold.

And how about the fighters, are you impressed with the amount of UK guys on the card?
It’s cool man. The UK’s getting very good and some of their guys are getting better and I don’t necessarily mean the well known ones. There’s a lot of young guys who haven’t fought many times in the UFC and they’re impressive.

What’s the plan then before fight night and after Saturday?
Just relax and mental preparation. There’s nothing more to do now. This fight is coming no matter what, so just relax and enjoy Manchester.

No party’s afterwards?
Maybe. Not before, absolutely not. I’ll probably party by myself in my room (laughs).

Stay with iFight365.com throughout the week for exclusive interviews and more from Manchester as well as live video coverage of Friday’s weigh-ins, live coverage of UFC 105 itself and more!

Martin Smith
martin@ifight365.com