Henry Cejudo insists he won’t allow Demetrious Johnson to take him out of his element when they clash for the UFC flyweight title later this month at UFC 197.

Johnson (23-2-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) is the only 125-pound champion in company history, having successfully defended the belt seven times since it’s inception nearly four years ago. Cejudo (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) said the reason is challengers routinely allowing “Mighty Mouse” to fight his way.

Cejudo said he won’t do that, and for perhaps the first time in a long time, he’s going to make Johnson uncomfortable inside the octagon.

“I don’t necessarily think about winning, I think about doing things right and think about stopping what he’s good at, then it’s just about collaborating these together,” Cejudo told MMAjunkie. “Then sometimes it’s about just throwing that all away and just fighting. Who knows I may have to fight him on one knee or one toe, so I might have to just say ‘Screw it,’ and fight – screw MMA, screw all this other stuff – I’m going to fight him. If I have to fight a certain way to make him uncomfortable, I’m going to do that.”

UFC 197 takes place April 23 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. Johnson vs. Cejudo co-headlines the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Johnson, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA flyweight rankings, is one of the top-ranked fighters in the world for a reason. He’s earned victories that range from early knockouts to dominant decisions to last-second submissions.

Although Johnson has shown extreme well-roundedness throughout his career, No. 4-ranked Cejudo said the key is to subtract a few main weapons from the champion’s arsenal. If he can do that, Johnson will be vulnerable, he said.

“I have a style that neutralizes his strength, which is his wrestling and his striking,” Cejudo said. “He’s going to feel it when we go in there. I’m just a bigger body and I’m going to fight him accordingly. I’m going adjust. I have no pride in me whatsoever. I’m not going to go blow-for-blow. I’m not going to fight fire with fire. I’m an extremely smart human being.”

Cejudo’s confidence is bred by his lifelong athletic success. At just 21, Cejudo became the youngest American to even win a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the Olympic games. He accomplished the feat in 2008 and shortly thereafter began preparing for the transition to MMA.

Now 29, Cejudo has several years in the sport and has already racked up a perfect record through 10 fights. Cejudo has already competed on arguably the biggest stage in sports, so challenging a dominant titleholder like Johnson doesn’t fluster him, he said.

“It’s just another fight, but it’s not another fight,” Cejudo said. “The Olympics have prepared me for this and overcoming a lot of struggles and adversity. It’s just another fight that brings more attention and there’s more money involved in this one. That’s all there is to it. The crowd, the glamor, the media, it doesn’t really phase me. I’ve been here before and I’ve had over 1000 matches in wrestling.

“I’m a very experienced human being and that’s one of my biggest attributes as a person. I’m just looking to fight this guy April 23. All the rest of the stuff is smoke and mirrors.”

When Cejudo was first awarded the title fight with Johnson, some critics complained the fight was happening too soon. Not because Cejudo couldn’t be competitive, or even win, but that more octagon experience would create a superior matchup.

Cejudo disagrees with that notion and said the bout is coming at the perfect time. He’s openly labeled Johnson as a “boring” and uninteresting champion and believes the division; UFC and fans are ready for change at the top after Johnson’s long reign. “The Messenger” said he’s going to be the instrument for that change.

“A lot of it comes from my past accolades: I’m a gold medalist and soon-to-be UFC champion, I’m of Mexican decent and am fluent in the language,” Cejudo said. “I believe I’m a huge marketing tool not just for the U.S. but also for Latin America. I’m the type of person that fluent, well-spoken in English and fluent and well spoken in Spanish. This is a bomb waiting to blow up and I’m excited to do it April 23rd.”

For more on UFC 197, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.