Mike Wilkinson: Bezerra's mask won't mean anything at UFC on FUEL TV 10

It’s not Halloween, and Mike Wilkinson isn’t scared of a mask.

Wilkinson (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) today meets Rony Bezerra (12-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) – of Rony “Jason” fame because of the Jason Voorhees-style hockey mask he wears, a la the “Friday the 13th” movie franchise.

And though Wilkinson toyed with the thought of wearing a mask of his own on the flight from England to Brazil, where the featherweights fight on the main card of UFC on FUEL TV 10, he abandoned the idea. Instead, he’ll just bring his straight-ahead “Warrior” game to the bout – a nickname he got from his gym mates’ idea of his “no retreat, no surrender, never give up” mentality.

“He’s got a mask, but it doesn’t mean nothin’,” Wilkinson told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I was thinking myself since he won the first ‘TUF: Brazil,’ he’s got a lot of hype around him and a lot of fame – and the mask, as well. But when I win this fight, it’s going to put me up there.”

UFC on FUEL TV 10 takes place today at Paulo Sarasate Arena in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. The main card airs on FUEL TV (8 p.m. ET) following prelims on Facebook (5:10 p.m.).

Wilkinson and Bezerra do have “The Ultimate Fighter” in common. Wilkinson debuted in the UFC this past December after fighting on “TUF: U.K. vs. Australia” and he beat Brendan Loughnane by unanimous decision. Bezerra made his official UFC debut about a year ago after appearing on “TUF: Brazil,” the first international edition of the reality series. He won the featherweight crown by beating Godofredo Castro, then beat Sam Sicilia in October.

Wilkinson knows he’s up for a stiff test against an opponent with a lot of hype – and he has to do it on Bezerra’s home turf in Brazil. But he’s prepared for that.

“I’m fighting for the UFC, and they’re global,” Wilkinson said. “To be in the UFC and travel the world, I feel truly blessed. My last fight was in Australia and I traveled 36 hours to get there. This was only nine hours, so it was a bonus, really. I’m going to get booed, but I know that nine hours away I’ve got all of England cheering for me.”

He’ll enter the fight as a fairly heavy underdog with Bezerra checking in as nearly a 4-to-1 favorite.

But that’s nothing new to the Brit, who had stoppage wins in his first six fights. He said he’s beaten other fighters when no one thought he was supposed to on paper, so why stop now?

“He’s an exciting fighter and he’s got some good wins, obviously,” Wilkinson said. “He’s a tough fighter, he’s got good standup, good jiu-jitsu. He’s a good opponent, and I want this. … I’ve got a big heart, a lion’s heart. No one’s going to stop me. I’m never going to stop. I believe in myself so much that I can’t lose. I won’t lose. My brain won’t let my body lose. My heart won’t let my body lose. I’ll just keep coming and get that win no matter what – and along the way, it’s going to be an exciting fight.”

And after turning in that exciting fight, and getting what he expects to be a “W,” Wilkinson wouldn’t shy away from asking the UFC’s matchmakers to throw him a bone for a fight in his home country later this year.

And when that happens, he wants an even bigger name.

“I don’t want to go down the same line a lot of people in the U.K. do, just fighting bums,” he said. “I want to get a better fighter each time I fight so I’m testing myself. After this, I want a bigger fight. There’s no point in me fighting chumps. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. That’s just the way I see it.”

For the latest on UFC on FUEL TV 10, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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