Petr Yan will make his debut on U.S. soil this weekend at UFC 232 in Los Angeles and he believes a stoppage of Brazilian veteran Douglas Silva de Andrade should put him well on course to his goal of securing the bantamweight title.

A former ACB champion and one of the most outstanding prospects fighting out of Russia, the prestige of competing on the UFC’s end-of-year card is not lost on “No Mercy”, who has already tallied a record of 2-0 with the promotion since signing earlier this year.

“It’s huge to compete at American events, because all of the top fights are held in the USA. I’m also glad to be part of 2018’s last big event, which will be headlined by Jones vs. Gustafsson,” Yan told MMA Fighting.

“After two fights in UFC I have more fans and more support, I receive a lot of positive messages and it’s very nice to have that kind of support. Now I hope to gain more Siberian gangster fans in the USA.”

Although he is confident of victory, Yan knows that Andrade, who brings a 25-2-0 record into the contest, will be no walk in the park, but he’s still optimistic that his unrelenting style will results in a finish.

“I think I have a serious opponent in front of me who has good accomplishments in the sport, but I don’t think he is the best fighter I’ve met or it’s hardest fight in my career, all fights are tough in their own way,” he explained.

“I always hope to finish the fight, but it’s not always possible to do it. Of course I will do my best to finish my opponent via knockout or submission; this is the ‘No Mercy’ style. If I will win this fight I believe I will enter the top-15. Of course my goal is to fight for the title, it is my biggest desire to prove that I’m the best. That’s why step by step I will enter the title race.”

On such a star-studded bill, Yan knows it will be difficult to steal the show, but he wouldn’t completely rule out leaving the States with a performance bonus.

“A lot of top fighters will compete [at UFC 232] and I believe there will be a lot of exciting fights. We will see if I can get the bonus. I always fight with my heart, try to showcase all my abilities and if I will get the bonus it will be a great gift for a New Year celebration.”