Most fighters will tell you they don't even think about losing in the build-up to a fight, but UFC featherweight king Alex Volkanovski isn't most fighters.
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In preparing for Sunday's super-fight with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in Perth, he's spent almost every day thinking about all the ways he could lose. It's why he's adamant that he won't.
"At the end of the day, I always put my opponents on a pedestal," Volkanovski said.
"I give them the benefit of the doubt everywhere, because it makes me work harder. I'm expecting him to be great on the feet, I'm expecting him to have my fight IQ, I'm expecting him to do what I would do in certain situations.
"He doesn't think that far ahead, but I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt because that's how you're meant to prepare. I'm going to prepare myself for it to be hard, because I need that mentality.
"I have the mindset in training, but come fight-time, I'll say 'I told you so'. Don't be surprised if I make it look easy."
Makhachev's Dagestani wrestling camp, headed by retired great Khabib Nurmagomedov, is one of the most famed in the sport.
It's what's left Volkanovski an underdog in eyes of many experts, but he's confident his preparation under wrestling coach Frank Hickman and BJJ guru Craig Jones has put him through more than anything Makhachev can in the octagon.
That the sessions have names like "shark tank" and "meatgrinder" are a hint at how torturous they have been.
"We started 15-16 weeks out where we had really good structure, we've brought in Frank Hickman and great wrestlers, Craig Jones came in early," Volkanovski said.
"It definitely helps you having one of the best grapplers in the world putting you in positions you know are going to be a lot harder than anyone you're going to face in the octagon.
"The rounds I'm doing, shark tanks, meat grinders, I'm up against five guys, I put myself in bad positions under fatigue against absolute beasts. I've done that forever, but especially this camp, we've turned it up to a whole other level.
"Really high-level wrestlers and grapplers, I'm rag-dolling them. If [Makhachev] just thinks he's going to rag-doll me, don't be surprised if I dump him on his head."
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No one would be more surprised than Makhachev, who's spent the week roundly dismissing the Volkanovski's grappling credentials, not that it's fazed the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter on the planet.
"Don't be surprised if I dump him on his head."
- Alex Volkanovski
"[Doubters] don't have the knowledge that we do," Volkanovski said.
"If it was a wrestling match, all right, but it ain't. I'd do a lot better than most people think if it was, but this is MMA.
"My takedown defence is obviously on another level, holding me down is just something very hard to do. Not only that, I can [get up] for days.
"We expect to be taken down, but don't be surprised if I don't. I've got a game plan I'm going to stick to, get back to my feet, and put hands on him."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
