Justin Gaethje knows he has to be better than Charles Oliveira in the striking department as he admits he is 'incredibly dangerous'.
The American is expected to challenge the Brazilian for the UFC lightweight title at some point later next year, although there's currently no word on when the fight will take place.
Oliveira, 31, is currently riding a ten-fight winning streak, beating Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier in back-to-back fights.
Gaethje's own run, meanwhile, has also consisted of facing high level opposition after being submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov before bouncing back with a win over former Bellator lightweight champion Chandler.
“At the end of the day, if my striking isn’t way better than his then I’m f-----, per se,” Gaethje told ESPN.
“That’s where I’m great. I’m great at creating pressure, creating damage and stopping takedowns.
"So ultimately, he’s going to be trying to get it to the ground because I’m gonna [sic] find so much success in the striking department.
“He is incredibly dangerous in the striking department. His knees, his elbows. His ability to create pressure, control distance, second to none. But I better be better. Or else I’m gonna be in a f----- world of trouble.”
While Gaethje has accused the Brazilian of quitting in the past, he admitted he may have got that one slightly wrong.
“I never said Charles Oliveira quits in the first or second round,” he added.
“The times I’m talking about is deep. Deep in a fight when it gets rough, it gets hard. But that was the kid Oliveira was talking about anyways, so we’ll see.
"He’s proven me wrong up to this point, but my job will be to prove myself right when I step in there with him. Make him quit.”