Former world middleweight champion Rich "Ace" Franklin will put friendship aside to compete against Cung Le in the main event of Saturday's UFC extravanganza in Macau.
The 38-year-old American said in Hong Kong yesterday it would be the third time he had fought a friend in the Octagon.
But he added that it would not stop him in the five-round middleweight fight - the star attraction of the 10-bout card at the Cotai Arena.
"Right now, I have Cung Le on my radar and he's my primary goal. It's interesting because Cung and I are friends outside the ring. I think people wouldn't understand that it doesn't take much for two people to hate each other in the Octagon.
"But we're here to put on a good show and make fans happy. I'll be ready for whatever Cung throws at me," said Franklin, who hails from Cincinnati, Ohio.
"My preparations have gone really well. I'm ahead of schedule. Right now, I'm at the point where I'm putting the finishing touches [to training].