Rhys McKee has his sights set on the top as he makes his UFC debut at Fight Island tomorrow night.
The Antrim native signed a UFC deal last week and is propelled into the main card at Abu Dhabi as he takes on rising star Khamzat Chimaev.
The 10-2-1 welterweight is in the big-time, and he has no plans of just making up the numbers this weekend as he insisted that he's 'certain' that he'll be UFC champion in the future.
"I’m trying to get right to the top," McKee said.
"We're starting very strong. We're on the main card of a massive card on Fight Island.
"I really do believe with the right wins, the right opponent, the right finishes, there'll be no other choice but for me to fight for the belt eventually and I know that will come in time. I'm certain of that."
Taking the fight on just a week's notice, the 24-year-old has described a whirlwind week that saw him go from Cage Warriors to the pinnacle.
"Yeah, it's just been hectic. We were coming back from a good training session, popped out to the shop to get something for dinner and I got the call.
"I thought it would just be a quick 5-10 minute call and then I would make dinner. And from there just everything totally changed. From early in that two-minute phone call it was very evident that definitely my next week was going to change but then in turn my life would probably change.
"I've trained for nights like this my whole career, not just the UFC but any previous promotion I was in. I was always training for the opportunity to get a big fight last minute so it's something I'm very very used to.
"This isn't the first time I've worked hard. This is probably one of the first times that its truly paid off as I got the call I’ve always wanted. I suppose consistency comes into it when you're working hard when you don't even have to.
"This time it's paid off. So I'm kind of proud how we stuck to our guns and kept working."
And 'Skeletor' reckons that he's well prepared to take on wrestler Chimaev, who scored an impressive quick-fire victory in his UFC debut just nine days ago.
"There's a lot of hype behind him, he made his debut, last week or two weeks ago, but that is only really in my favour. He is a style that I have prepared for many times, he’s a wrestler that wants to spoil my game.
"As someone who was preparing for a fight in September it's kind of no different, just a different face and a nicer, warmer place. It's a fight that excites me.
"I'm looking forward to getting a hype train under my own name and taking all the followers he had from him and make them realize that I'm there for a reason and on the main card for a reason as well.
"I never would have signed that contract unless I was coming home with anything less than a win. Again, I'm really not here to get a nice new tracksuit. I'm here to take the win."
