Iuri Alcantara not worried about Brad Pickett's 17-4 home country advantage at UFC 204 in England

Brad Pickett has a thing about fighting in his home country of England, apparently. The Londoner is 17-4 at home – and 8-7 anywhere else in the world over a nearly 12-year pro career.

Tonight, Pickett (25-11 MMA, 5-6 UFC) is back on his home turf for the second straight time when he meets Iuri Alcantara (33-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) to close out the preliminary card of UFC 204 at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Brazilian fighters know all too well about a home-cage advantage when they take on non-Brazilians. But Alcantara said he won’t be thinking about his opponent having a mental edge. He does think each of them will be $50,000 richer come Sunday morning, though.

“It doesn’t matter either way to me,” Alcantara told MMAjunkie ahead of his bantamweight fight with Pickett. “I’m training hard to put on a show. I know ours will be a great fight. Without a doubt, we’ll get an of-the-night bonus. It will be a war. He’s very tough. He’s also been in the UFC for a long time. He’s very experienced, with great boxing. But I’m ready to face him and put on a great fight.”

Alcantara has dropped two of his past three fights, both by decision. In January, he lost a unanimous decision to Jimmie Rivera – but was given a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus for it. It was the Brazilian’s first bonus in the UFC – though he no doubt would’ve preffered it to come on a win instead of a loss.

After starting his training in Brazil for Pickett before moving to Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., Alcantara said he was just waiting on the UFC to call for the better part of a half-year. And it actually may have worked to his advantage.

“I didn’t have any significant injuries,” he said. “I was just waiting to be called up. It’s the UFC that makes that decision. In a way, it’s good to have extra time to heal up and and prepare.”

And maybe that preparation will work to his advantage – despite fighting Pickett in England, where he’s clearly at his best.

“I am a striker and jiu-jitsu practitioner,” he said. “I’m working hard on my takedown defense so I don’t have to be on my back. That’s my main objective now. … Everything is in place for me to have a great performance.”

For more on UFC 204, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.