Marc Diakiese is hoping a win over Lando Vannata will be a stepping stone for him to face the elite of the lightweight division.
The Congolese-born Brit faces ‘Groovy’ on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 160 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Diakiese’s clash with the dynamic Vannata will be his second outing of 2019, his first coming against Joseph Duffy in March.
The former BAMMA lightweight champion’s victory over Duffy stopped a three-fight skid and more than likely saved his UFC career – which began so promisingly.
And with the possibility of being axed no longer an immediate threat, Diakiese has set his sights on rising up the lightweight ranks early next year.
“I definitely want a good top-20 top-15 opponent next,” Diakiese told Express Sport. “But obviously, I’m taking it one fight at a time. I just want to get the win and see what’s next.
Although his losing streak is now behind him, Diakiese has learned plenty of lessons from the darkest and most testing time of his career.
He said: “I learned a lot. I learned I’m not a quitter. Especially in MMA, it’s about learning. It’s a journey. Outside of the UFC, I didn’t lose any fights.
“And to go in there and start losing in front of people, people start to underestimate you.
“So it’s what you believe in that gets you through. And I believe in myself going into this fight. And I know going forward that it’s about me believing in myself.”
Given their respective styles and dynamic striking skill sets, Diakiese vs Vannata has the potential to be Fight of the Night.
Diakiese has immense respect for the skills Vanatta will bring to the table but has vowed to take him into deep waters.
“I’m expecting an exciting fight. He’s not a boring fighter, he comes to fight. I’m prepared for war and that’s what it’s going to be,” said the 26-year-old. “It’s going to be a war.
“He’s come out all the way from America to here so he’s not going to be an easy fight. It’s going to be a hard entertaining fight.
He added: “I’ve seen that he gasses in most of his fights. And I’ve worked a lot on my cardio because I’m looking to push the pace.
“I feel that the second round I should get the finish. How I get it doesn’t matter. But I feel he’ll fade in the second.”