“I think it’s going to be mostly on the feet and I feel like I’m going to catch him because I know I’ll have the advantage on my feet,” the Australian told The AllStar. “I think he will try to transfer me at the very beginning, and even if he succeeds, I guarantee you that I will be able to stand up, and I am ready to do this all 25 minutes”
“Usually when I fight other guys, I know that basically they only have a puncher chance, so I try to be safe on the stand and don’t take too many risks. This time I’ll have to take the risk. I will be careful, but I have to use my standing advantage. I can’t sit back and be careful and wait because I can’t let him take rounds. That’s why I feel like I can finish it, believe it or not.”
“The first round will be chaotic with a lot of clinches, but in the second round I will calculate it and finish it. That’s the plan. But then again, I’m preparing for all five rounds – that’s the kind of guy I am.”
The title fight, in which the Russian will defend the lightweight championship belt, will head the UFC 284 tournament in Perth on February 11.