BELFAST, Northern Ireland – If it were up to Uriah Hall, his job as a UFC fighter would entail stepping in the octagon for competition and nothing more.

That’s not the case, however, and when a fighter is in the position of being a headliner, such as Hall (12-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) is for Saturday’s UFC Fight Pass-streamed UFC Fight Night 99 main event against Gegard Mousasi (40-6-2 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, there’s little choice but to speak to the media.

Hall would prefer for that not to happen, though, and he made it clear during a pre-fight interview with MMAjunkie at today’s UFC Fight Night 99 media day.

“Unfortunately, the media is terrible at their job to boost your confidence,” Hall said. “I just can’t wait to see the headline of this conversation and what it will be. But it’s a part of life. You fall down and you get back up. Unfortunately, my line of work is in the limelight. I’m on stage. I’m constantly being viewed, and as sad as it is, I’m one of those guys I would rather just show up and fight. I hate this bull(expletive). I’m just doing it so I won’t get fined, (like NFL player) Marshawn Lynch.”

Although media obligations are a requirement of being a UFC fighter, fulfilling them can also be of great benefit to an athlete if handled properly. There’s a chance to connect with fans, build name value and ultimately help flourish a career and earn greater paydays. Hall said he isn’t interested in doing that, though, because he sees greater priorities in his life.

“(If it were up to me) I would never talk to the media, ever,” Hall said. “I don’t care about money, man. For me, I care more about helping kids. When I’m off not training I’m help helping kids. The (expletive) that y’all mother(expletives) don’t see. The (expletive) that y’all don’t pay attention too. That’s the real stuff. That’s what I pay attention too. Money comes and goes. I’m not here forever. I’m trying to set a path for the next generation. That’s my passion. I can’t rely on money or materialistic things. That’s why I’m different.”

Hall’s feelings about the media aside, he still has a fight on Saturday. He faces Mousasi in a rematch of a UFC Fight Night 75 bout from September 2015, which he won by stunning upset when he caught “The Dreamcatcher” with a perfect spinning back kick to the face then finished the job with a flying knee to the jaw.

Mousasi has called the result of the contest a “fluke,” and has campaigned for the rematch over the past year with the plan of exacting revenge. Hall, however, has different plans.

“My fight was a ‘fluke’ to him and he just needs to get over that hump,” Hall said. “It’s something that bothers him. I’m sure he lost a lot of sleep and it terrifies him to be knocked unconscious almost by a guy like me that’s not even ranked and all that stuff. I’m sure that caused him to say, ‘How is this possible? I’m supposed to beat this guy.’ That’s the cool thing about MMA: You just never know what’s going to happen. It’s a good opportunity for me to grow and climb back that rank and it’s an opportunity for him to get revenge. He’s taking a risk, he’s gambling, but when opportunity knocks at your door you just kick that (expletive) in.”

Although it would seem Hall has more to lose than gain by fighting Mousasi again, he said that’s probably not the case. “Primetime” has dropped back-to-back fights since their first meeting, while Mousasi has pulled off three consecutive victories and climbed to the No. 7 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings.

That means there’s a lot opportunity for No. 15-ranked Hall to reposition himself as a top contender, and while he expects Mousasi to approach the fight much differently than before, he said his chances of a repeat performance can’t be dismissed.

“He’s ranked high – in this game you got to work by numbers,” Hall said. “You got to play the game. That’s all I’m trying to do. I’ll tell you what I did, though. I did wake his ass up after my last fight. Because after my last fight he’s not messing around. So I expect Gegard to come at with me with his best.

“He’s going to have the crowd. I like that adversity. It’s in his home town. The odds are supposed to be against me, but all bets are off when you’re in the cage. Statistics, opinions. It doesn’t really matter, and that’s what makes me dangerous because you never know which Uriah’s going to show up.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 99, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.