Undefeated Leigh MMA standout Mike Wilkinson is planning on sending a message to the UFC featherweight division when he takes on highly-rated Rony Jason.
The pair meet on the main card at UFC on Fuel TV 10, which is headlined by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s heavyweight bout with Fabricio Werdum.
Wilkinson (8-0) admits he faces a big step-up in class against Jason, a former winner of the Ultimate Fighter in Brazil, but says he is relishing the challenge in Fortaleza, Brazil, on June 8.
“I’m not here to pussyfoot around and be in the UFC for one fight,” he said. “I’m here to be in the UFC for a long time and to eventually become a world champion.
“I’m going to fight on the main card one day and I’m going to be in the main event one day so I’d rather just do it all now.
“This is what I am here for – I’m here to fight on the biggest stage in front of millions of people because this is what I was born to do.”
Wilkinson represented Britain in the 2012 series of The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs UK – The Smashes but was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an eye injury.
He bounced back in the season finale with a thrilling unanimous-decision win in his official UFC debut over fellow British fighter Brendan Loughnane.
The Atherton Submission Wrestling fighter is pleased with how his fight preparation has gone and is confident he has the tools to deal with dangerous striker Jason.
“My training has been going very well,” he said. “My body feels better than ever. Obviously I have been doing more stand-up for this fight.
“Rony Jason is a stand-up fighter – he is a banger. He is well-rounded though, and very good off his back, but I don’t think he poses any problems I can’t handle.
“I am comfortable wherever this fight goes. I don’t fear being put in any situation because I have trained so hard in all the different aspects of MMA.
“But he is a tough fighter. Obviously he won TUF in Brazil so he is a big name over there. I am fighting in his back yard so all the pressure is on him really.”
Brazilian MMA crowds are notoriously passionate and Wilkinson is expecting a hostile environment when he faces home-town favorite Jason, but insists he is not fazed by the prospect.
“I’m going over knowing no one will be cheering for me, everybody will be cheering for him, but that won’t make a difference to how I perform,” he said.
“There is only going to be me and Rony in the cage unless someone else jumps in. The crowd won’t affect how I fight on the night.
“I know I’m jumping up from being the second fight on the whole card to being the first fight on the main card.
“But I wouldn’t say they are throwing me in the deep end because I want to be thrown in the deep end. I’ve been the underdog my whole career so I’m used to it.”
After competing at lightweight (155lbs) during his time on The Ultimate Fighter, Wilkinson decided to jump back down to his more natural home at featherweight (145lbs) after the tournament.
He says he feels faster and stronger than ever and is hoping that competing at featherweight will help him find his best form against Jason.
“Obviously before the Ultimate Fighter I was a 145lb fighter but I jumped up a weight to get on the show because it was a great opportunity,” he said.
“But now everything that I envisioned during the Ultimate Fighter has happened. I knew after getting injured that I would have another fight at 155.
“I knew I would win that and then the plan was always to drop back down to 145 which is my natural weight.
“Dieting has been going well, I am in great condition. Making weight is part of the job and I enjoy all of it so I am excited to continue at 145.”
UK fans can tune in ESPN from 1am on June 9 to watch the entire UFC on Fuel TV 10 event.
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