UK fighter Che Mills is relishing the opportunity to pit his skills against Rory MacDonald at UFC 145.
Mills ready for biggest test of his career so far
Che Mills is relishing the opportunity to pit his skills against youngster Rory MacDonald at UFC 145 and believes he can cause an upset against the man touted by many as 'the new Georges St-Pierre'.
Mills made an impressive UFC debut in front of a home crowd at UFC 138 in Birmingham with a 40-second drubbing of Chris Cope, a performance that earned him 'Knockout of the Night'.
But now he faces a much tougher task against youthful Canadian star MacDonald in Montreal, who has lost just one of his last 12 bouts including three UFC wins, but Mills believes home advantage is not always a bonus.
He told
skysports.com: "I prefer to fight away from home to be honest as there is not as much pressure. I've fought abroad three or four times now.
"There isn't so much pressure on you and you can just go and get the job done."
Mills boasts an impressive record of his own having lost just two of his last 13 bouts, though the former Cage Rage British Welterweight champions is well aware of the step-up in class from the UK domestic scene.
He added: "I'd like to concentrate on staying in the UFC. The main thing at the moment is to consolidate what I have achieved so far.
"I don't want to be one of those fighters who wins his first fight in the UFC and then gets cut (from the organisation), I want to be one of those guys who is there all the time."
Underdog
MacDonald is already the big 4/11 favourite with Sky Bet to beat Mills after some excellent displays in his fledgling UFC career and Mills will definitely be the underdog when the pair meet.
The 22-year-old has already seen off Welterweight contenders in Mike Pyle and highly-rated Nate Diaz, with his only defeat coming to number one contender Carlos Condit.
However, Mills is unconcerned by the hype surrounding his opponent and believes it will help him in the build-up to the fight.
"I don't mind being the underdog for this fight, I think I prefer it," Mills added.
"I am always confident in my ability, as if I wasn't confident then I wouldn't do the job.
"I sit down with my coaches and devise a strategy before fights, but I don't go through hours and hours of videos.
"I prefer to concentrate on what I am doing rather than worrying about them too much. When it comes to the fight I am calm and just think 'it's time to go to work."
Evolution
Mills believes the key to staying in the world's premier MMA organisation is evolving as fighter and believes widening his skillset will help him maintain.
One general criticism of UK fighters in the past is that they lack the wrestling skills of their US counterparts, but Mills insists he is trying hard to dispel that myth.
He said: "Everyone is saying my striking is a dangerous, but I am always looking to improve. At the moment I am looking to improve my wrestling and have been working on that a lot in the past year.
"Maybe the US guys have an advantage [with wrestling], but some of the UK guys are really good as well now."
With three months until the MacDonald clash, Mills is relaxed about his preparations and is intending to enjoy the festive period with Christmas just around the corner.
He laughed: "I will enjoy Christmas, I will train over the period, probably Christmas Eve too, but I will have Christmas day off and a few days before New Year too."
