It wouldn't take a behavioural psychologist to conclude that Irish UFC welterweight Ian Garry is a very confident young man.
In fact, if you talk to him for more than a minute he’ll probably tell you himself.
UFC 273 is one of the most stacked cards of the year so far, but the Dubliner believes he will be one of the big stories coming out of the Jacksonville event on Saturday night.
A who’s who of elite fighters, banner names and interesting matchups decorate the pay-per-view offering.
Petr Yan will rekindle his rivalry with Aljamain Sterling in their bantamweight unification bout. Currently on a 20-fight win streak, 145-pound champion Alexander Volkanovski will look to underline the growing claims that he is the greatest UFC featherweight of all time when he faces 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung.
Despite the two title tilts, it’s a welterweight clash between former title challenger Gilbert Burns and one of the most hyped prospects of all time, Khamzat Chimaev, that’s capturing the attention of the masses.
Portmarknock’s Garry has been given an important billing as the feature bout on the preliminary card against Darian Weeks.
It will be the last fight of the night that goes out live to the general public before the pay-per-view portion of the card starts, which usually means a lot of eyeballs - a situation that 'The Future' is more than comfortable with.
"Every single time I’ve fought on a card, there have been bigger fights than me," Garry told RTE Sport.
"Every single time I fight, my name is the one that’s coming out of peoples’ mouths at the end of the night…every single time. And this one is going to be no different."
Garry blazed a trail through the Cage Warriors promotion, claiming its coveted welterweight title before being snapped up by the UFC last year.
A debut at Madison Square Garden in November saw him evoke the spirit of 'The Notorious' in his post fight interview, following a stunning highlight reel knockout of opponent Jordan Williams.
"A wise Irishman once said before me, he stepped in this very cage and he said, we’re not here to take part, we’re here to take over," Garry told UFC commentator Joe Rogan in his post-match interview.
"This is the takeover, part two."
The biggest draw in the history of the UFC, McGregor took to social media to congratulate Garry on the "incredible" first impression that he made with the UFC. He even suggested that they would appear on a bill together one day, something the 24-year-old believes is a realistic possibility.
The combination of an endorsement from the UFC star, promotion from the UFC’s marketing arm and the thunderous stoppage victory put him firmly on the map, making him a choice commodity in the sport internationally.
'Every time I'm in the cage I’m going to pan someone out, rock the mic and then look forward to my next fight'
He still remembers sitting in a classroom reacting to McGregor’s viral soundbites and recalls the mania that he brought to Ireland on his initial UFC title run.
And although he openly acknowledges how he idolised his fellow Dubliner, he has a different road map in terms of his future successes within the organisation.
"This is the Ian Garry blueprint," he explained.
"I’m gonna do it the way I think I should do it. Are there going to be a couple of building blocks in the path from Conor? Absolutely. Can I jump on a few of them to help me? Of course, I can. I think before I signed for the UFC people said I would be the next Conor McGregor based on nothing but the way I talk and my fighting style, but I’m going to do this my own way.
"I’m going to do what I do best - learn, grow and just have fun. Every time I’m in the cage I’m going to pan someone out, rock the mic and then look forward to my next fight."
While he’s keen to take his time with his UFC trajectory, Garry has been making big moves in his private life.
After being ousted from Swords gym Team KF before his Cage Warriors title fight, he relocated to Florida ahead of his UFC debut to train with internationally renowned gym, Sanford MMA. Earlier this year, he married TV presenter and content creator Layla Anna-Lee in Las Vegas following a whirlwind romance.
Just like he was in his UFC debut, Garry is a strong favourite and expected to routinely defeat Weeks in Jacksonville. Should he claim another emphatic victory, it will undoubtedly be greeted with requests for him to face stiffer opposition.
He is adamant he wouldn’t look out of place taking on ranked UFC welterweights right now, but he wants to make sure he’s rounded out his game before he takes a significant leap in terms of the calibre of his counterparts.
"If someone was to offer me a top ten guy tomorrow and I wanted to fight him, of course I’d do it. There are five guys in my gym right now that are elite welterweights and I’m training with them on a daily basis. I believe I could go in there and fight the best guys in the division right now, but what would that do for me?
"That would speed the whole process up. I want the slow build so when I do get there everyone else is done. I’ll have perfected my game and I’ll be ready to take that belt."
