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Middleweight champ Israel Adesanya won't underestimate challenger Sean Strickland, while local Tai Tuivasa is looking for an upset win in Sydney's UFC 293 card.
Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Australian heavyweight Tai Tuivasa are the main attractions in Sydney's UFC 293 card on Sunday.
Two-time champion Adesanya, who won his first belt against Robert Whittaker in Melbourne almost four years ago, will start a short-priced favourite against the fifth-ranked Sean Strickland.
"I don't take him lightly. I don't underestimate him but I don't overestimate him and he's a dangerous guy," said the 34-year-old Nigerian-born and New Zealand-based fighter. "But I have a habit of making dangerous guys look easy."
The outspoken American, who has attracted plenty of pre-fight attention with his controversial views, knows he will need to get inside against the slick moving champion to land his strikes and perhaps even wrestle.
"You don't want to stand at range with Izzy, you want to go toe-to-toe, make it a war, make it a dogfight," the 32-year-old Strickland said.
Sixth-ranked heavyweight Tuivasa is regarded as the underdog against Russian Alexander Volkov, who is one place beneath him but at 200cms has a 13cm height advantage over the Sydneysider.
Powerful striker Tuivasa is coming off what he cheerfully admits were "hidings" in his two stoppage losses to Ciryl Gane and Sergei Pavlovich, the top-two ranked contenders for the title held by Jon Jones.
Refreshed and back training in western Sydney after basing himself overseas for his recent fights, Tuivasa acknowledged the importance of winning at Qudos Bank Arena where he made his UFC debut in spectacular fashion almost six years ago.
"It's definitely been a journey full of ups and downs but it's shaped who I've become," the 30-year-old Tuivasa told AAP.
"A good win over Volkov is going to really get me back up to where I want to be."
Volkov, who is coming off successive wins, was wary of the punching power of his opponent but feels he has a greater range of weapons.
"He'll be dangerous for me from the first second to the end of the fight for sure, but I think I have a lot more techniques in my arsenal," Volkov, 34, said.
"My ego will make me do the fight stand up, but the smart way it will be probably be better to take him down."
Tuivasa's close friend and business partner Tyson Pedro will be looking to rebound from a last-fight loss when he takes on Sweden's Anton Turkalj in a light heavyweight contest.
Also on the card is Brisbane heavyweight Justin Tafa, who has a rematch against former NFL player Austen Lane after their first bout in June was declared a no contest after an accidental eye poke in the first 30 seconds.
Promising Victorian featherweight Jack Jenkins and NSW Central Coast lightweight Jamie Mullarkey are in the prelim bouts, with combatants from 13 nations contesting the 12 fights.
