Video: Yaotzin Meza says 'there ain't no chip on my shoulder'

Yaotzin Meza has never been given the same type of hype as Sergio Pettis. He’s never been tabbed as a can’t-miss prospect. But now that the blue-collar fighter has the wunderkind on the other side of the cage, he insists there’s no animosity.

“There ain’t no chip on my shoulder,” Meza told MMAjunkie. “He’s a great athlete. He’s like any other fighter. We’ve jut got to go in there, fight, and come back with that win.”

Meza (20-9 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and Pettis (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) meet in the featured FOX Sports 1-broadcast preliminary bout of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 42 event at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, N.M. The bantamweight matchup directly preceded the evening’s six-fight FOX Sports 1-broadcast main card.

Meza’s UFC path has been a tough one thus far, as he was welcomed to the promotion by current No. 1 featherweight contender Chad Mendes and was promptly dismantled in less than two minutes.

Meza rebounded with a submission win over John Albert, but in January, he suffered a hard-fought decision loss to Chico Camus, preventing him from building any momentum.

“I’m hungry after that last fight that I lost,” Meza admitted.

Meanwhile, Pettis – the younger brother of current UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis – has long been considered a top prospect in the sport and was undefeated through the first 10 fights of his career before losing in a stunning upset that the hands of Alex Caceres.

Now both Meza and Pettis find themselves in a bit of a must-win situation. Ultimately, Pettis’ pedigree may earn him a little more leeway, but Meza isn’t intimidated by the challenge.

“He’s a tough fighter,” Meza said. “We’re always going to get tough fights once you get to the UFC.”

To hear more about Meza’s preparation for the contest at Arizona’s The MMA Lab, check out the video above.

And for the latest on UFC Fight Night 42, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.