—How do you feel now after arriving in Japan?
This is the first time I have been to Japan. I’ve only seen Tokyo, but it’s such a beautiful country. Both my mental and physical conditioning are good, and everything surrounding me is perfect. I want to put on a good show for the people here in Japan.

—Could you give us your thoughts on your opponent, Yuta Uchida?
I only found out about my opponent a month ago, and I heard he was a Karate champion. That’s all I know about him. I’ll know more about him when we fight.

—What do you think about him being chosen as your debut opponent?
I think he’s quite an appropriate choice. The only thing with Uchida is that he has never had an MMA fight before, so I can’t be too sure exactly what he going to bring to the table when we fight. He might come at me with something I am not expecting, but I am ready to deal with anything he tries to serve up.

—Could you tell us about your martial arts experience so far?
I started off in Sambo, and then did Judo. After that I moved to Combat Sambo. 18 months ago I had my first amateur MMA fight.

—What kind of things would you like to show the Japanese fans when you fight?
I want my fights be ones they can watch and enjoy, fights that are worth seeing.