UFC heavyweight contender Ben Rothwell saw a four-fight winning streak come to a screeching halt with a disappointing loss to Junior Dos Santos at April’s UFC Fight Night 86 event, but he’s already shaken off the disappointment of the night – and for good reason.

Rothwell (36-10 MMA, 6-4 UFC) is brimming with confidence again as he prepares for a UFC 203 battle with Fabricio Werdum (20-6-1 MMA, 8-3 UFC), and “Big Ben” said he’s destined for great things.

“I know that I can defeat any heavyweight on the planet,” Rothwell said. “That’s it right now.”

UFC 203 takes place Sept. 10 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic meets Alistair Overeem in the night’s pay-per-view headliner, while Rothwell and Werdum meet in the co-feature.

Rothwell currently sits at No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, while Werdum – who lost the heavyweight title to Miocic in May – sits at No. 2.

Despite the disappointing loss to Dos Santos, Rothwell said he believes the fight could very well be a No. 1 contender matchup, especially if he performs the way he believes he can. Sure, Cain Velasquez is in the mix, and Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett also have a big fight lined up for UFC Fight Night 93 on Sept. 3, but Rothwell said he thinks he can leapfrog everyone with a memorable win.

“I think I have a great opportunity to prove (I’m the No. 1 contender),” Rothwell said. “I know that’s what (Werdum) is taking the fight for, and we’re the co-main event to the heavyweight title fight, and the challenger I’ve already knocked out, and the current champion wasn’t able to fight me in October because he pulled out against me, so I feel there’s already history there. There’s a guy or so that’s obviously in the line. I think it’s about performance, and I think Sept. 10, a challenger for the title will emerge.”

Should his hunch prove correct, Rothwell would be in line for the winner of the Miocic-Overeem contest. Rothwell was supposed to meet Miocic at this past October’s UFC Fight Night 76, but Miocic was forced to withdraw less than two weeks out with an injury.

With that in mind, you might think Rothwell is pulling for Miocic. But the 34-year-old slugger said he’d be just as happy to face Overeem again after “The Demolition Man” seemed to dismiss his September 2014 TKO loss to Rothwell.

“It doesn’t matter because after the fight with Overeem, he still felt like this or that or he could beat me nine out of 10 times,” Rothwell said. “That just proves I didn’t do my job, and I want to make sure that if I fight him (again), there won’t be a third fight.

“Stipe is obviously a great challenge. He’s proven it. He went in, and he had a lot of things stacked against him, taking on Werdum in Brazil, and he performed beautifully and has proved that right now, he’s the man. He rightfully deserves his title, and it’s up to the rest of us to prove that one of us deserve the title.”

Rothwell said all he wants is that opportunity, and he said he thinks a Sept. 10 win may very get it for him.

“This fight is that step that I needed to really take me to the place I want to be, and that’s a No.1 contender and taking on for the title,” Rothwell said. “I know I can win this fight and win big.”

For more from Rothwell, check out the video above.

And for the latest on UFC 203, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.