Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos hasn’t fought in nearly 14 months, but his drive hasn’t wavered one bit. And on the eve of his return to the octagon, the Brazilian slugger wants to make his intentions clear.

“I’m going to be fighting for the title again very soon,” Dos Santos told MMAjunkie. “I really believe that. All that I want is to get victories and get positive results. And when you do that, it’s going to happen.”

Dos Santos (16-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) meets fellow heavyweight slugger Stipe Miocic (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in the headlining bout of Saturday’s UFC on FOX 13 event, which takes place at Phoenix’s U.S. Airways Center and airs on FOX.

The two were supposed to meet in May, but a Dos Santos hand injury forced him to withdraw from the fight. Coupled with a lengthy layoff that followed an October 2013 loss to UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, Dos Santos has been inactive for 14 months.

But the 30-year-old wants to make it clear he hasn’t been sitting on a couch chowing down on pizza and ice cream. Instead, he said he’s remained active throughout that layoff and believes if anything, he’s gotten better.

“I didn’t rest much this whole time,” Dos Santos said. “I was anxious to get back to fighting, and I was supposed to compete in May before I got hurt. Once I healed up, I started preparing for this fight. But all the time, I was training and getting ready to come back to the octagon. I didn’t just rest.

“It was a hard time for me. I don’t like stay too long away from the octagon and competing. It was hard, but now I’m very happy to have a fight because I love this sport.”

Dos Santos is a sizable favorite in the fight, according to the oddsmakers. Of course, with eight of his 12 career wins coming by knockout, Miocic is a live underdog, as well.

Dos Santos believes the two will combine for a crowd-pleasing affair and even envisions a way he could win the fight by submission after honing his grappling game at Nova Uniao.

“I think Miocic has an excellent striking game, and his boxing is very good,” Dos Santos said. “I think it’s going to be good for the fans. I’m a very confident guy in using my boxing, too. I really believe I can knock anyone out in the world fighting on my feet and using my boxing skills. For sure, it’s going to be good for the fans, but this is MMA.

“He said he wants to put some pressure on me, and I think as soon as the fight starts and he feels some of my punches, I think he’s going to try and take me down. If he’s able to take me down, maybe he’ll be my first submission in the UFC. I’ve been training a lot in my jiu-jitsu, and I want to be a complete fighter.”

With a victory, Dos Santos would improve to 10-0 in the UFC against fighters not named Cain Velasquez. Of course, his 1-2 record against the champ would seemingly leave Dos Santos on the outside looking in when discussing another shot at the belt, at least as long as Velasquez holds the title.

But Dos Santos doesn’t see it that way. He believes a few big wins, and both the UFC and Velasquez will have no choice but to give him another shot.

“Right now, I’m just thinking about coming back to the octagon and doing what I love to do and doing my job and picking up some good victories,” Dos Santos said. “But you know, we have a rankings system to follow, and I’m going to try and be very well-positioned in this ranking. Sooner or later, I’m going to be fighting again for the title, for sure. Whether Cain Velasquez is the champion or not, I’m going to get another shot at the title.

“Cain Velasquez has said he doesn’t want to fight me, but if I’m the No. 1 in the ranks, you can’t hide from another fight.”

For more on UFC on FOX 13, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.