In past fights, you’ve demonstrated a variety of skills. You broke Dan Henderson’s jaw, demonstrating your power. Most recently against Johil de Olveira, you took the fight to the mat quite a bit, controlled him and took the fight off your feet. Against a guy who is known to have such a strong stand up game, are you going into this fight with plans to take it to the mat or do you feel comfortable on your feet with Pat?
I feel comfortable on my feet with Pat. I think the key to winning this fight will be strategy. He’s a very smart fighter and he fights his fight. That’s usually how he wins-he’s never beaten people at their particular game. He didn’t beat up on Mikey Burnett. He beat Mikey Burnett fighting a smart fight. That’s what he’s going to try to do with me.

How do you make the fight go your way instead his?
Move, move, move and more movement.

By his own admission, Miletich has sometimes gone through fights in second gear. He says he’s really prepared for you to push pace. Do you see that as an advantage? You’re known for being really active.
I see that as a definite advantage. Somebody has to make the fight, so I’m going to take responsibility for that. It’s going to be a great fight.

It seems like everyone who has fought says that you are very difficult to prepare for. You do a lot of things in a fight that are unexpected, things that maybe other guys couldn’t pull off. What d you attribute that to?
My Dragonball Jiu Jitsu style and my motto, which is Shadow Skill. When you examine the terms, it’s pretty difficult to deal with.

Tell us a little about your Dragonball Jiu Jitsu.
I just kind of train hard and keep my spirit in good health. I take my time, look at life and appreciate things for what they are.

Speaking of spirit, you’re also known as kind of a free spirit. You always seem like you’re having fun and you have a good time with your entrances.
Hey man, you’re only going to live one life, and this is my one life to live.

For such a serious sport, you always add an element of fun to what you are doing.
You need a sense of balance, and I have that. I do a lot of things because I’m technically grounded. It’s not a game plan, really. If you have a gaping hole, like if you’re good at standup but not on the mat, you’re going to sit there and worry and worry and worry. Now, the sport is reaching such a technical level. Standup, ground, you’ve just got to go where it goes. You’re going to see tremendous improvement in the UFC on the technical level, but I don’t think people in North America will want to see that. With Johil, he wanted to fight on the ground, so that’s where the fight was.

You’re attending York University right now. Can you tell us what you are studying and what your plans are? You really seem like the type of guy who is going to be doing something beyond fighting.
My plan for the future is to be a doctor. I volunteer at the hospital and that’s where I spend a lot of my time. I have a double major in university, one in languages and environmental health sciences. I like languages because I get to go a lot of places and I like talking to people and having intelligent conversations. It really frustrates me when there is a language barrier. It is a very valuable experience to talk with someone who lives in a different, a different culture. I can speak Japanese now, and I read and write it. I speak French also, and next year I’ll study Chinese and one other language. As far as sciences go, that’s just chemistry, biology and other environmental sciences that I am going to use in medicine.

Preliminary Welterweight Bout
Tony DeSouza (168) vs. Steve Berger (167 ^3/4)

Preliminary Lightweight Bout
B.J. Penn (153 ^3/4) vs. Joey Gilbert (151 ^3/4)

Light Heavyweight Bout
Matt Lindland (194 ^1/4) vs. Ricardo Almeida (203 ^3/4)

Heavyweight Bout
Pete Williams (234) vs. Semmy Schilt (258)

Welterweight Bout
Matt Serra (168 ^3/4) vs. Shonie Carter (169 ^1/2)

Light Heavyweight Bout
Chuck Liddell (205) vs. Kevin Randleman (205)

World Welterweight Title Bout
Pat Miletich (169 ^3/4) vs. Carlos Newton (169 ^1/2)

BJ Penn comes from a pretty strong Jiu Jitsu background. What is your approach to fight going to be?
My approach is going to be the way I fight all my fights. I just go out there and fight. I kind of let myself take over. Once a guy starts thinking too much about a game plan he messes himself up. I believe in my athleticism, so I just have to let it take over.

You have a lot of Shooto fights, so you must be pretty comfortable on your feet, even though you have a wrestling background.
I’ve been doing this for a while, just like all the wrestlers, like Randy Couture and Dan Henderson. Look at those fellas-those guys have just as good a standup as anybody else. I find little tricks, just like boxers find little tricks to help themselves.

Describe your training a little bit. You train in Chicago?
I train in the South Side. It’s pretty popular, a pretty tough area. What’s actually kind of funny about us is that we live in a pretty tough area, but our town is one of the wealthiest areas in the United States. But it produces wrestlers and fighters, and we have guys who are dominating right now, on the local and national level-King of the Cage, HOOKnSHOOT shows. Orland Park, where the Western Open golf tournament is played. It’s an Irish neighborhood.

Have you seen BJ Penn fight at all?
I’ve seen him grapple. He’s quick.

What do you expect from him in this fight?
I don’t think he gives me much credit. I don’t think he thinks much of my wrestling skills. I respect everybody I fight. I don’t care if I get taken down or anything. I just fight.

In terms of exposure, is the UFC a big step up for you?
This is all I ever wanted to do, fight in the UFC. I never thought it would be possible when I first started watching, with all the bigger fighters. To my family, this is like the Super Bowl. It will be the first time I’m not watching the UFC because I always have it at my house. I’ll have people over and get a keg of beer, chicken wings and everything-this is the first time I’ll be making money.

The first thing I need to ask is, what’s up with the wardrobe, kid? You’re looking sharp!
Man, it’s a part of my trademark. It’s what I am as a person and a fighter-untouchable in the ring and definitely untouchable out of the ring. That’s the way it has to be 24/7, 365, 12 months a year 24 hours a day.

Is that why you take so many fights, so you can afford the wardrobe?
I have to, man! My bills! I have a daughter and I have a baby boy on the way. I have to exemplify professionalism, expertise and untouchability 24 hours a day.

Let’s talk about your upcoming fight with Matt Serra. A difference in styles?
Oh yeah. He’s a very strong grappler. He was the runner up at Abu Dhabi. Looking at what he does very well, I have to be on my game the entire 15 minutes-there’s no letting up on him. Yeah, I’m a wrestler and a grappler as well, but I haven’t been to Abu Dhabi. I’m not looking beyond it. I’ve got to be there until the last bell.

You’ve been in some wars. Two that come to mind are a decision victory over Dave Menne and a draw with Dave Menne.
I have the utmost respect for Dave Menne, I’ll say that first and foremost. The first fight, I think I prevailed out of sheer determination. At that time in my career, I think I had a superior upper body arsenal that carried me along in the fight. He got my back in the last ten seconds and had a rear naked choke, but I was able to hold on. The second fight, I was a little more prepared, but obviously so was he. In my heart and mind, I knew it would go the distance. Dave and I both picked up the pace-I’d punch him, he’d kick me, I’d kick him, he’d punch me, he’d punch me twice, I’d punch him twice. It was two valiant gladiators in that ring.