(NOTE: The story original appeared on usatoday.com)

SAO PAULO – British middleweight Michael Bisping again is on the verge of an Ultimate Fighting Championship title shot. But this time, he’s expecting a very different result.

“I’ve been in No. 1 contender matchups before, and I lost them,” Bisping told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com. “But I truly believe those things happened for a reason. I’m certainly a better fighter than I was back then. Maybe if I had won those fights and fought for the title back then, I would have lost.

“Now I won’t.”

The nine-year veteran twice before has been one victory away from a shot at the UFC’s 185-pound title – once in 2009 and a year ago – and both times he came up short. On Saturday, Bisping (23-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) meets former UFC champion Vitor Belfort (21-10 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in the headlining bout of UFC on FX 7 (FX, 9 p.m. ET) in Sao Paulo.

“Experience has taught me to focus on what I’m going to do and not what my opponent is going to do,” Bisping said. “I used to do that early on my UFC career, and you don’t perform to the best of your ability. So for this fight, I’ve worked hard on my boxing, on my kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and just tried to take my skill set to another level. I’ve done that.

“I’m certainly physically better than I’ve ever been, mentally better than I’ve ever been. My skill set is there.”

A technical striker, Bisping has been a UFC mainstay since winning The Ultimate Fighter 3 reality series in 2006. In Belfort, he faces a southpaw with proven knockout power. That could very well prove a fine preview if Bisping is victorious and goes on to fight pound-for-pound kingpin and fellow lefty knockout artist Anderson Silva later this year. However, the Brit insists he’s not allowing himself to daydream about fighting the champ just yet.

“I’d be a fool to look past Vitor Belfort,” Bisping said. “He’s a very, very tough opponent. If I beat him, I do get to fight Anderson, but I can’t think about that right now. I’m just thinking about Vitor.”

Still, after two previous failed bids, the 33-year-old is ready to finally book his spot in a championship headliner.

“I’m ready for this fight,” Bisping said. “Every minute of every round, I’m going to be trying to finish Vitor. I’ve got more desire in my heart and will to win than any man in this world.

“I plan on winning on Saturday night, and I plan on taking the title from Anderson later this year.”

UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping takes place at Ibirapuera Gymnasium. FX carries the main card following prelims on Fuel TV (6 p.m. ET) and Facebook (5:35 p.m.).

For more on UFC on FX 7, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.