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(Image: Charli Edwards / BAMMA)

With just two weeks to go until his fight at UFC London , Tom Breese says his preparations have gone well and that he is looking forward to the big evening.

UFC London takes place at the 02 Arena on February 27th:



Tom said: "My training has gone great, I feel better than ever and I've made a lot of improvements in this camp.



"I'm excited more than anything. My confidence is high and I'm looking forward to going in there and putting on a good performance for everyone."

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Breese will face a highly experienced Japanese opponent Keita Nakamura. Nakamura has a total of 40 professional fights and aged 31 he has a distinct experience advantage over the 24-year-old Englishman.

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Breese is expecting a tough evening but feels he has prepared well for his opponent: "I know he's a very high-level grappler and I know he's a specialist at back takes and back finishes so I've been preparing for that.

"With his experience, he's going to be a bit like Pendred. You can't rush to finish these guys. They hang in there, they are tough but I feel really confident coming into this fight." "I think a win against him will give me the opportunity to be on a big card in the US."

(Image: Getty)

Breese's first two bouts in the UFC saw him fight in hostile conditions, first taking on Luiz Dutra Jnr in his home country of Brazil and then taking on hometown hero Cathal Pendred in Dublin in October last year.

Fighting in front of his own home crowd in the UK is something Breese is relishing: "It's going to be a great experience," he said.

"When I used to fight in BAMMA I always fought in Birmingham so I always had great support there with all my closest friends and family. I hope it's going to be similar to that but come fight time you're in the zone anyway, it's just autopilot then."

Breese finished his last two aforementioned fights in the UFC in devastating fashion, utilising his crisp striking skills to finish both Dutra and Pendred in the latter stages of the first round by TKO.

A quick look at Breese's record, however, shows that before entering the UFC he had finished six of his seven fights via submission. Breese says he has a lot more to his game than UFC audiences have seen so far:

"I'm very well rounded and my Ju Jitsu is very strong," said Breese.

(Image: Getty)

"My all round grappling is very strong and my boxing is very strong but I've not been able to show my Ju Jitsu in the UFC yet because the fights have been standing and I've just shown my boxing."

"I feel like I'm extremely well rounded and I wanted to strong and effective in all areas. I want to be an exciting fighter and interesting fighter."

Breese pursued his dream of becoming a professional MMA fighter at the age of 16 when he decided to not go to college and focus on his training. Since then he has joined the Tristar gym in Montreal, Canada under the tutelage of head coach Firas Zahabi. Breese said he couldn't be happier about his decision:

"I've been here [Tristar] for years and it's the best thing I ever did," said Breese.

"I couldn't have got the same level of training back home. Here I'm surrounded by all type of professional athletes and training partners. Firas Zahabi and Eri O'Keefe are high-level coaches so I feel like I'm progressing all the time."

The UFC's welterweight division is one of the most talent loaded with champion Robbie Lawler sitting on the top of a pile of talent including Rory McDonald, Carlos Condit, Tyrone Woodley and Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson. Despite the level of competitors ahead of him, Breese is confident that when he reaches his potential he will one day be the king of the division:

"I think I will be a champion one day," said Breese confidently.

"I feel like I'm progressing all the time and like I'm improving all the time. I think you are going to see the big improvements in this fight and I believe one day I will be the champion for sure."

"It's going to be a tough journey, there could be bumps in the road, but I'm definitely going to be champion one day."

Such is Breese's focus on one-day ruling the UFC's welterweight division, that he's said that once he's had his fight he will spend only some quick time in his hometown of Birmingham before heading back to Montreal to continue his training:

"I'll be here in London for fight week and then I'll head to Birmingham for one week to see my friends and family," said Breese.

"I'll then head straight back here [Tristar, Montreal] and get back to work. As I said, I'm not just training for fights, I'm training to be a champion."