Former world boxing champ Danny Green has anointed UFC middleweight contender Rob Whittaker as Australia's best fighting export.
UFC boss Dana White believes the Australian could be the real deal.
As for Whittaker, he simply wants to be the best.
And so it goes as the 25-year-old from Menai, in Sydney's south prepares to step into the Octagon in Las Vegas on Sunday when he takes on Brazilian veteran Rafael Natal at UFC 197.
Both fighters are looking for their fourth straight victory, and while Whittaker got a hometown win over Uriah Hall by unanimous decision at UFC 193, Natal also beat the flashy American at UFC 187 on a split decision.
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The real difference is Whittaker is seen as a fighter on the rise, with championship capabilities.
UFC boss Dana White says this fight could tell what Whittaker's future in the stacked middleweight decision looks like.
"I believe in the kid. Believe in his style," White said.
"When a guy starts to become a star, when he shows what we call promise, we have him fight on a big Las Vegas card. We're going to find out what he's got."
Whittaker, who was also lauded by Green this week as the 'complete package and our No.1 fighter', is not fazed by the praise, in fact, the words are spurring him on.
"That's a huge honour coming from a renowned name like him, it's great to be under the eye like that, they're huge words and I hope to back them up," Whittaker told AAP.
A win here is expected to take Whittaker - the No.7 ranked middleweight - to a clash with a top five fighter in a division where Luke Rockhold is the new champion.
Chris Weidman and icons Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva and Michael Lisping are some of the names above Whittaker.
Whittaker though is simply looking to put away Natal quickly with his trademark aggressive style and won't look past his immediate opponent, who will look to take the fight to the ground.
Whittaker's response, ground Natal.
"I'm definitely going to try and take the fight to him, that's my mentality for every fight and I'm going to stick with it," Whittaker said.
"I'm going to take it to him and try and finish him, I predict knocking him out in the second."
