Dustin Poirier believes consistency and self-belief have brought him to the verge of winning the UFC lightweight title.
Poirier challenges 155lb champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi on Saturday week.
He faces a formidable foe in the Russian who has not lost in 27 fights and submitted Conor McGregor in the fourth round of their fight last October.
But Poirier is confident he can not only beat, but also finish Nurmagomedov.
"I think the biggest thing is consistency and self-belief, honestly," he said.
"Showing up every day, whether the day before was good or bad, staying true to the path of being the best fighter that I can push myself and evolve into. I think self-belief and consistency is what's got me here.
"It means everything to me. How many times in our lives or in our careers do we have a chance to really do something great?
"These guys are building an arena for us to compete in. I'm traveling across the world in the biggest fight that I can get possible and going out there to do something that's never been done.
I have an opportunity for greatness, and I'm approaching it that way, and I'm very excited about all of this. I can't wait honestly. I'm very anxious to get the fight week rolling."
Nurmagomedov will be the odds-on favourite in Abu Dhabi and be backed by a large contingent of fans.
But Poirier is happy to go into the title fight under the radar.
"I'm going to go out there and do what hasn't been done and put a loss on Khabib’s record for all the underdogs across the world," he added.
"I'm going to show everyone that if you believe, if you work hard enough, if you're focused enough, if you're determined enough, in that 25 minutes you can be great, and that's what I was just talking about.
"I have a real opportunity to be great with everyone watching, and do something that's never been done, and I will not let this slip through my fingers."
