UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Steve Mowry, for having just five pro MMA fights, knows the right things to say.

And Mowry (5-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) likely believes it, too, when he says he can’t look farther ahead than his opponent tonight at Bellator 215, Darion Abbey (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) – an opponent he got on about a week’s notice. Looking anywhere into the future past Abbey, he said, makes him too anxious.

Still, though, Mowry knows if he keeps doing things the way he did them in his Bellator debut this past September – a submission win over Ben Moa with an Americana – he’ll fast-track himself to contender status as a heavyweight.

“I’d like to end up at the top some day,” Mowry told MMAjunkie. “Putting wins together is the name of the game. I don’t think I’ll ever be the type that talks my way into things. I’d like to be the guy that performs, and before I know it I’m right there at the top.”

Mowry meets Abbey on the Bellator 215 prelims tonight at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Mowry also believes that for heavyweights, the place to be is in mixed martial arts. And in particular, Bellator is a pretty good spot for them. After years of having no heavyweight champion, the promotion finally crowned a new one in January when 205-pound champ Ryan Bader became a dual titleholder with a second belt.

On Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena, Bellator 216 goes down and features a pair of heavyweight fights between Cheick Kongo and ex-champ Vitaly Minakov, plus Roy Nelson vs. Mirko Cro Cop. Tonight, Bellator 215 is headlined by Mowry pal and sometimes teammate Matt Mitrione vs. Sergei Kharitonov. And then there is the pack of fighters who were part of the heavyweight tournament field – names like Fedor Emelianenko, “Rampage” Jackson, “King Mo” Lawal and Frank Mir.

“The best heavyweights in the sport are around right here, and not the same can be said about every sport,” Mowry said. “Not the same can be said about boxing, college wrestling, jiu-jitsu. The best mixed martial arts heavyweight fighters are right here.”

For Mowry, stringing wins together also likely needs to come with some frequency. The 26-year-old Pennsylvanian said that will help more than just his MMA record.

“I’d really like to stay busy – three or four times a year,” he said. “… Having something to look forward to and be able to schedule your life around who you’re competing against and when you’re competing is definitely nice. It’s good for your lifestyle and good for my sanity.”

For more from Mowry, check out the video above.

And for more on Bellator 215, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.