Undefeated Invicta strawweight champ Virna Jandiroba had no problem vacating her title for a short-notice entry to the UFC.

The conditions might not have been exactly ideal, but after going unbeaten through her five years in the sport thus far, Jandiroba believes there’s no set of circumstances than can shake her self-belief.

“”My success in MMA doesn’t come from just my five years in the sport, but from my entire life in martial arts,” Jandiroba told MMA Junkie in her native Portuguese. “I’m a jiu-jitsu black belt. I’ve been practicing for 14 years. That’s half of my lifespan. It becomes second nature. It’s like reading and writing. There’s no thinking involved when doing. Repetition yields excellence.

“I’m very happy to be contracted by the UFC. I think it happened at the right moment. My team and I thought I could have been brought in earlier, based on my fight record. In any event, now is the right time, against the right opponent.”

Jandiroba (14-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) faces former UFC champ Carla Esparza (13-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) on the ESPN-broadcast preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 8 event, which takes place at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. The main card follows on ESPN+.

Jandiroba stepped in earlier this month when Livia Renata Souza was forced to withdraw from the card. Stepping on a less than a month’s notice to face a former champ might seem like a daunting task, but Jandiroba doesn’t see it that way.

“Carla Esparza is a former champion in our weight class,” Jandiroba said. “It’s fantastic I’m getting to face someone who is ranked. I think the fight favors me. She’s a complete fighter but her forte is wrestling. I’ve fought other wrestlers who may be more complete but who aren’t in the UFC – Mizuki Inoue, for example. She’s a very complete fighter, and I dominated her for five rounds. Being UFC-famous carries a certain weight, but it doesn’t impress me.

“I expect to have a great debut. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. I accepted on 20 days’ notice. She may have the advantage, as far as preparation time, but my hunger to debut in the UFC is much greater. I’m very happy to be facing Carla. She’s a great fighter with a great history in MMA and in the UFC. It’s an honor.”

Jandirboa, a native Brazilian, finds herself fighting on foreign soil, as well, but she’s used to that by now after three successful appearances under the Invicta FC banner. She also admits three weeks isn’t exactly enough to put together a custom gameplan for Esparza but says she was training for a June appearance, so she wasn’t starting from scratch.

That said, Jandiroba considers herself a “bloodthirsty beast” up to all challenges.

And don’t take her confidence as any sort of gamesmanship – Jandiroba just believes a lifetime of work has earned her the right to feel that way.

“Trashtalking not my nature, as far as promoting fights,” Jandiroba said. “I realize that’s how MMA is these days. It’s entertainment, not just a sport. A lot of folks talk trash to be more entertaining, but it’s not how I am. I like to show my work in the cage.

“Since I come from jiu-jitsu, I have an ingrained philosophy that’s hard to ignore, gladly. We can’t forget our values from martial arts. Before anything else, MMA is a combat sport. There’s a code of ethics.”

So there you have it: Jandiroba knows she’s not being given an easy entry into the UFC, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a difficult step, but it’s only the first step, and Jandiroba knows the journey will have many more tests along the way.

“My plan is to grow in the organization,” Jandiroba said. “Of course, I want to be the best in the world. I was the Invicta champion. I want to grow in the UFC so I can be their champion, too. I do realize that it has to be one step at a time.

“I have far to evolve, still. I’m not in a hurry. I’m only thinking about the next fight, but I do have big dreams.”

For more on UFC on ESPN+ 8, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.