Justin Burlinson has played down the 'home' comforts for Rhys McKee going into next week's Cage Warriors title showdown.
The welterweight crown will be on the line when the pair collide at the SSE Arena in Belfast on Saturday, June 25.
Ballymena man McKee will have a raucous home crowd cheering him on, while Burlinson can expect a partisan atmosphere from the thousands of fans in attendance.
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Burlinson, a native of Sunderland in the north-east of England, doesn't see the venue giving McKee any advantage.
If anything, he believes it only adds pressure onto the 26-year-old Co Antrim fighter.
“I don’t really see the advantage because it’s just me and him in the cage,” he said.
“The cage could be anywhere so it doesn’t really matter. I don’t see it any other way.
“If anything, it’s added pressure on him in front of his home crowd. I don’t really know him well personally so it might not make a difference, but if there’s any pressure it’s on him.
“He’s more experienced, but I think that’s the only thing he’s got over me. With skill and everything else, I believe I’m the better fighter.”
Burlinson - whose record stands at 7-1 - insists he will be in prime condition heading into next week's fight.
The 25-year-old added: “It’s probably been one of the best camps of my career to date.
“I feel like I’ve peaked at the right time and trained smart. I’ve always trained hard but the problem was sometimes that I needed to be a bit smarter.
"I feel like I’ve looked after my body during this camp and I’ve prepared in the best way possible.”
Tickets for Cage Warriors 140 at the SSE Arena in Belfast are available from TICKETMASTER and EVENTIM
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