—How do you feel right now?
I feel great. I just came back from my first trip to Brazil where I worked on my ground game. My preparation has been excellent.

—Was there anything in particular that you focused on in training?
I focused a lot on switching from the ground to stand up. I basically just practiced MMA.

—Can you give us your thoughts on your opponent, Yuichiro Nagashima?
This is the first time we will fight, but I watched him a lot in K1 Max. He has powerful strikes but when it comes time to fight, I will be the one victorious.

—What do you think about Nagashima’s dressing up?
I think a lot of people have a lot of different ideas about him, but he should live his life the way he wants to. For a Dutch person like myself, it is very strange I have to admit, but when we are both in that ring I will show him respect. The most important thing to me is the guy standing opposite me in the ring, so I don’t worry about any of that kind of stuff.

—I heard you were a part of Jose Aldo’s team, were you able to master newaza and takedowns?
Yes, even though this is my first venture into MMA, I want to show everyone that I am not just a kick boxer, but that I am an athlete. A lot of people ask me what I plan to do this year, but what I really want to do is start a new career path.

—What are your prospects looking forward?
Within two years, I want to be one of the top 10 fighters in MMA. I want have big fights in this weight division.

—You have announced in the past that if you lost your next fight you would retire?
I really felt exhausted when I was doing kickboxing. But I have newfound motivation from this and in a short period of time I want to be a top level MMA fighter. The most important thing for me is to be successful with my first step.

—Are there any fighters in your MMA class that you are conscious of?
This fight is contracted at 72kgs, but I’d like to fight at 70kgs from here on in. This division has world class fighters all over the world. I am just focusing on what is in front of me right now, but after this I want those world class fighters to offer me a fight with them.

—What are your opinions on the fighters in your division?
I think globally, UFC is the top organization right now. Just look at Conor McGregor. He would be a very tough opponent but he is someone I want to be able to fight in 18 months time. That’s why it’s so important to keep training hard constantly.

—Is that something you think about, facing veteran fighters in Rizin as a step in your career?
Yeah, definitely. It’s a stepping stone for me, and I want to be able to challenge the top guys. I want to be a guy who can go out and beat McGregor. I have been able to win fights with my striking up until now, but in MMA, I am just taking everything one step at a time.