Since joining the UFC in 2017 he’s defeated each of six opponents in convincing fashion, including a TKO victory over Chad Mendes at UFC 232. That slow climb to the top tier of the featherweight division helped Volkanovski establish himself as one of the top threats to Max Holloway’s belt.

But before he earns a shot at the current champion, he must face the greatest featherweight champion of all-time in Jose Aldo. And to top it all off, he has to do it in Rio De Janeiro.

But Volkanovski wouldn’t want it to be any other way.

“I’m the type of person that I put a lot of pressure on myself and I make things happen because I know what I’m doing,” Volkanovski said. “That’s something I believe that really helps me with some many things, whether that’s being a good person or being a good fighter.”

Aldo is hot off of back-to-back emphatic finishes, one over the gritty Jeremy Stephens and the other over Renato Moicano earlier this year. Volkanovski is happy that Aldo is coming into this fight on a win streak because that will make the impact of a victory that much greater.

“I’m here to get the job done,” Volkanovski said. “So I’m going to go and do that, beat Aldo in his hometown. That’s really saying something and sets me up for big things after this.”

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The truth is Volkanovski is a fan of Aldo and while he has plenty of respect for the former featherweight king, he believes it is time for Aldo to pass the torch.

“I’m a fan of the sport and I’m a fan Aldo but at the same time I always knew I was going to be here,” Volkanovski said. “I know I’m mentally and physically prepared for this. I’m going to have to go do my thing, you know he’s done great things but it’s now my time “The Great” to go do greater things.”

In order for Volkanovski to take care of business he believes he has to push the pace and rely on his outstanding conditioning to outlast his competition. Volkanovski is also well aware of Aldo’s ability to get off to a quick start and finish his fights early. If he can fight smart and impose his gameplan in the fight’s first moments then he believes he will leave Rio with a win.

That is the formula that led him to grind Chad Mendes down, that’s what helped him finish Darren Elkins and it’s what he believes he can do to Aldo.

“I pride myself on being a mixed martial artist so I put it all together very, very well,” Volkanovski said. “So I’m planning on putting it all together and I’m gonna have him really worried about so many different things so it’s gonna be hard for him to pull the trigger. But he will be dangerous early but you’re going to see him slow down and you’re going to see him really, really react to things. He’s going to be thinking too much in there. I’m going to get him mentally and physically drained and that’s what I believe you’re going to see.”

MORE UFC 237: Jessica Andrade: Why I Fight | | Daniel Cormier’s Preview | Rose Namajunas’ Greatest Hits | Inside The Octagon | Anderson Silva Free Fight | Jared Cannonier Free Fight | Jessica Andrade Free Fight | Namajunas Capturing Gold | Training Day – Rose Namajunas | Embedded | Order UFC 237

Volkanovski knows that in order to be “The Great” you have to beat the greatest. And on Saturday he will believes he will do just that.

“The greatest featherweight of all-time, you’d have to give him that. But again, he’s done great things and he will be a hall of famer, he’s a legend forever,” Volkanovski said. “But it’s just my time now. For me to move forward and for me to look after my family I have to win and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Don’t miss out on this epic featherweight match-up. Tune into UFC 237 Saturday at 6:15pm/ 3:15pm ETPT with the UFC Fight Pass Early prelims. The ESPN+ prelims begin at 8pm/5pm ET.

The UFC 237 main card will start at 10pm/7pm ETPT and is only available on Pay-Per-View. Order the card here.

Gavin Porter is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com, follow him on Twitter at @PorterUFCNews

The UFC strawweight champion is no stranger to overcoming challenges. In fact, those challenges and the fears that they present, are what push her to succeed.

Challenges such as Michelle Waterson and fighting Joanna Jedrzejczyk not once, but twice.

On Saturday Namajunas will attempt to defend her title against Jessica Andrade at UFC 237 in Rio De Janeiro. And she couldn’t be more excited.

“Fear excites me. Fear drives me,” Namajunas said. “I always said I would never fight outside the country but I also said I would never fight on The Ultimate Fighter but look what happened. I’m just really excited and grateful for the opportunity to really get in front of the Brazilian fans.”

It has been just over two years since “Thug” Rose started her stellar run to UFC glory. In that time she’s bloomed into a full-blown star due to what she brings both inside and outside of the Octagon. And at just 26 years old, her future is very bright.

Both of Namajunas’ title fights against Jedrzejczyk took place in New York, so taking on a Brazilian in Brazil will add a new type of pressure to her title tilt. That pressure doesn’t worry Namajunas one bit, rather it gives her a deeper level of motivation.

“I know that they are a really intense crowd as far as everything that I’m hearing,” Namajunas said. “I’m really excited to feel that energy, take it all in, perform and do what I do best.”

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Across the Octagon from her on Saturday night will be Andrade, who fought and lost to Jedrzejczyk in 2017. Since then “Bate Estaca” has reeled off wins over Claudia Gadelha, Tecia Torres and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Her win over Kowalkiewicz was particularly special, as she starched the strawweight stalwart by knockout.

That type of power isn’t often seen at 115lbs and it’s that dynamic skill set that makes Namajunas excited about this match-up.

“She’s really unique and that really excites me,” Namajunas said. “I haven’t really fought anyone like her. You can’t really even find any girls that are quite like her anywhere. So it’s a huge challenge.”

Namajunas isn’t focused with where the fight will go, as she feels that she has the overall advantage no matter if it is on the feet or on the canvas. The one thing that has Namajunas’ focus is utilizing the best areas of her skill set against Andrade’s weak points.

“This fight is going to come down to who plays into who’s strengths,” Namajunas said. “And who can shut down their strength and attack their weakness better.”

A win over Andrade would definitely add to Namajunas’ legacy and while that may be important to some, it isn’t to her.

After his fight with Israel Adesanya didn’t go his way, the “Spider” knew that he wanted to return when the UFC made the trip to Brazil in May. The opponent didn’t matter, what did was that Silva was able to perform in front of his country.

And on Saturday he will do just that.

“That’s very important for me you know because the timing is completely different now,” Silva said. “I’m not a young guy you know. I spent a long time training in the United States for my fight in Australia and I talked to Dana White after. I told him, ‘Please just give me a chance for a fight in Brazil because it’s my country.’”

Silva hasn’t fought in front of the Brazilian faithful since his phenomenal first round finish over Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153. That fight which was nearly seven years ago is a reminder to Silva of a time where he was far more active. This year Silva has plans to be far more active and he believes that accepting fights at the proper times will benefit him.

“When I take this fight I take it because the timing is very important for me. When I accepted the fight in Australia I hadn’t fought in two years and that time off didn’t help me too much,” Silva said. “But I like the challenge. In Brazil it is the same, it is a new challenge for me and I am very excited to fight here in Brazil and I am very happy.”

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His UFC 237 bout in Rio De Janeiro will be his third time fighting in Brazil, something that Silva wishes he was able to do more of during his UFC career.

“I’m very excited and very happy because I haven’t fought here in a long time,” Silva said. “And I’m just so happy to be back fighting here.”

If Silva’s performance on Saturday in any way resembles his past bouts in Brazil, fight fans are in for a treat. The former middleweight champion believes that in order for his fight with Jared Cannonier to go his way, he will need to follow a simple formula.

“I need to keep my focus straight and use all my technique,” Silva said. “And put in my heart. Put my heart inside the cage and do my best.”

Silva is looking to recapture the magic that propelled him to a 16 fight win-streak that included 14 finishes. He knows that defeating Cannonier, who recently made the transition from light heavyweight to middleweight, won’t be easy.

“I’ve watched him a lot. He’s a very strong opponent and he has a lot of experience in the UFC,” Silva said. “I believe this is a good fight for me and my opponent. It is also a special fight for the fans.”

MORE UFC 237: Jessica Andrade: Why I Fight | | Daniel Cormier’s Preview | Rose Namajunas’ Greatest Hits | Inside The Octagon | Anderson Silva Free Fight | Jared Cannonier Free Fight | Jessica Andrade Free Fight | Namajunas Capturing Gold | Training Day – Rose Namajunas |Embedded| Order UFC 237

Cannonier is coming off of a dominant victory over David Branch at UFC 230. That short notice performance launched him to No. 10 in the division’s rankings, which is higher than Silva.

But at this point in his career Silva doesn’t care about rankings, he just wants fun fights and to put on a show for his fans.

“I’m just going to do my best and have fun,” Silva said. “I will make everyone proud.”

Make sure you tune in to see Silva fight in front of his home crowd. UFC 237 starts Saturday at 8:15pm/ 5:15pm ETPT with the UFC Fight Pass Early prelims. The ESPN+ prelims begin at 8pm/5pm ET.

The UFC 237 main card will start at 10pm/7pm ETPT and is only available on Pay-Per-View. Order the card here.

Gavin Porter is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com, follow him on Twitter at @PorterUFCNews

After earning his way on Season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, it quickly became apparent that the young prospect from Minas Gerais had a world of potential. Selected with the fifth pick in the middleweight bracket, Alves’ coach on the show, Chael Sonnen, raved about his charge, who won each of his bouts to advance to the finals.

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Though it took a little longer, Alves continued his dominant run by choking out Team Sonnen teammate Marcio Alexandre Junior in the third round to join the fraternity of Ultimate Fighter winners and establish himself as one to watch going forward. He declared after the victory that he would relocate to the welterweight ranks, and upon arriving in the 170-pound weight class, Alves continued to impress.

Wins over Alan Jouban, Nordine Taleb and Colby Covington followed, pushing his record to 11-0 while carrying him to the brink of contention and putting him in a position to compete alongside some of the most established and decorated Brazilian fighters on the roster at UFC 198 in Curitiba. But rather than his main card opener against Bryan Barberena serving as his coming out party, Alves became the first Brazilian to lose to a non-Brazilian fighter that night, landing on the wrong side of three 29-28 scorecards against the durable, underrated American.

It has been a mixed bag of results since then, as he followed up his first professional loss with a second straight defeat, getting steamrolled by current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman before collecting a pair of victories. Just when it seemed like everything was starting to round back into shape, Alves got picked apart and finished by James Krause last summer in Boise, walking into a well-timed knee to the chin midway through the middle round.

Five years after arriving in the UFC as an unbeaten fighter with an abundance of potential and projected as a future contender, Alves remains a bit of an enigma — a clearly talented fighter whose flashes of brilliance always seem to have a confounding, lackluster accompaniment.

MORE UFC 237: Jessica Andrade: Why I Fight | | Daniel Cormier’s Preview | Rose Namajunas’ Greatest Hits | Inside The Octagon | Anderson Silva Free Fight | Jared Cannonier Free Fight | Jessica Andrade Free Fight | Namajunas Capturing Gold | Training Day – Rose Namajunas |Embedded| Order UFC 237

“Pressure is normal; it’s part of the job,” said Alves when asked how his success on The Ultimate Fighter and early triumphs impacted his efforts in recent years. “We’re here to fight, but sometimes other things outside of the Octagon have an impact on our performances.

“I let this stuff bother me for a long time,” he continued, “but now I have my mind and my heart in the right place and I’m doing what I love. Even the hardest parts like cutting weight have become easier.”

One of the pieces that often gets lost or forgotten when assessing potential rising stars and projecting where their talents may take them is how young and inexperienced these competitors often are, both inside and outside of the cage.

It takes time to adjust to the spotlight and get acclimated to the rigors of competing on the biggest stage in the sport, fighting against more seasoned, more polished professionals who have already sanded down the rough edges and have their preparation dialed in. Even if the physical gifts are there, the mental side of the sport is arguably even more important and is often the final piece that young fighters are able to get squared away.

Alves’ run inside the Octagon reflects an athlete going through that battle, as he’s amassed a respectable 6-3 record that includes victories over a pair of divisional mainstays and the current No. 2 contender, but also features losses to less athletic, less explosive fighters like Barberena and Krause, as well as the reigning champion.

But as he readies to step into the cage against fellow Brazilian Sergio Moraes this weekend in Rio de Janeiro, Alves believes he’s sorted out the issues that have plagued him over the last several years and is focused on getting himself back into the thick of the title chase in the welterweight division.

“Today I have the emotional intelligence to separate and balance things out,” said Alves regarding the distractions that have pulled his focus away from preparation in the past and hampered his performance in the cage on fight night. “Before, I would let external situations interfere with my performance inside the Octagon, but not anymore.

“I know that being calm and handling my business in the cage go hand-in-hand, but that is only something you figure out in time. This is my 10th UFC fight and I learned that the hard way by suffering some losses, but I took good things from every experience and am ready to move forward again.

“This is a fight that will put me back in the mix,” he said of this weekend’s bout with Moraes. “He is a very tough guy — he’s coming off a loss, but has been putting on great performances of late. A win here is very important.”

His assessment of Moraes is apt, if not understated, as the perpetually smiling 36-year-old has gone 8-2-1 in 11 bouts since losing his UFC debut to Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira nearly seven years ago. Prior to his loss to Anthony Rocco Martin in Wichita, Kansas earlier this year, the only man to best “The Panther” was Usman, who scored his one and only knockout victory inside the Octagon against the world champion grappler in September 2017.

While Alves has exhibited a nasty guillotine choke and a solid base on the ground, he’d be at a disadvantage on the canvas against Moraes, the same way the veteran has shown improved striking and a greater willingness to stand in recent years, but is likely out-gunned if he opts to engage in a kickboxing match on Saturday.

As such, this early card battle between dueling Brazilians shapes up to be a classic clash of styles, one that Alves is confident he’ll win.

“I’ll try to keep him standing and force him to strike as much as I can, but if it goes to the ground, I’m prepared for that too,” he said, offering his assessment of the contest. “Fighting is something you can’t predict, which is another mistake I made in some of my previous fights: I would try to predict how things were going to go and it would make me lose focus.

“Now I’m prepared for everything and the only thing that matters is that I get my hand raised in the end,” he added. “How doesn’t matter. The only thing I know is that my hand will be raised in the end.”