A fight camp in preparation for a bout with Cheick Kongo can be a difficult thing these days, Javy Ayala said.

In a Paramount-televised Bellator 199 bout tonight at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., Ayala (10-6 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) looks for one of his biggest wins yet when he meets veteran heavyweight Kongo (27-10-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA).

Ayala just isn’t sure what to expect from the 42-year-old French kickboxer.

“Everybody knows Cheick Kongo’s standup is really good,” he told MMAjunkie. “Lately, I don’t know what happened, but he turned into a wrestler, I guess. He’s been taking people down.”

That forced Ayala, a 29-year-old Californian who recent snapped a two-fight winning streak with a decision loss to Roy Nelson at Bellator 183, to focus on the mat during his training camp.

“Getting ready for this fight, it was a tough camp,” he said. “We had a lot to work on. …

“We incorporated a lot more takedown defense, especially after the Roy Nelson fight, seeing how much of a factor that was. I felt like if I would have been able to stop those takedowns, that the decision would have gone a whole different way. So, leading into this fight, we worked a lot on that. We worked on submissions off my back, just in case that’s what we get to. My standup training has been the same as always. I feel really happy with my standup game. We brought in a lot of big, strong guys to try to take me down, and rush me back into the cage, to emulate his style. That way, I can be ready for him.”

With a victory over Kongo, a former UFC fighter who’s on a five-fight Bellator winning streak, Ayala said he feels he could cut the line for a title shot. He’s not part of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix; the last opening-round matchup headlines Bellator 199 when Ryan Bader (24-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) takes on Muhammed Lawal (21-6 MMA, 10-5 BMMA), and the last man standing in the eight-man field will win the vacant heavyweight belt later this year. Ayala, though, thinks he could be in the title mix once the tourney dust settles.

“Kongo is a tough guy, he said. “He’s been around this sport for a long time. He’s on a five-fight win streak. He should be in line to get the belt, so I feel like me going over there and getting a win over him definitely puts me in that category.”

Those are big expectations for a former high school wrestler who turned pro in 2011, partially at the urging of cousin and former UFC title challenger Joe Soto.

After all, Ayala still holds down a full-time job outside of the sport and trains MMA as his schedule permits. It can be a grind, and it makes for long days. But it’s also proof that hard work and dedication can go a long way, he said.

“I would just like to let my fans know: Follow your dreams, I guess,” he said. “I’m an average guy. I work a full-time job. I’ve got my wife/ I’ve got my kids that I take care of. But this is something I love to do. It’s something I’ve worked really hard for.

“I push myself every day. I work 10 hours a day. On those days, I come home from work. and I don’t want to go work out. It’s tough. I tell myself, ‘I know you’re tired, Javy, but it’s going to pay off in the long run. Dedicate yourself.’

“It kind of what I want to tell the fans. As long as you put your time into something that you really want to do, you can achieve it.”

For more on Bellator 199, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.