Tai Tuivasa, a top UFC heavyweight, has admitted that he was drunk when he agreed to fight Derrick Lewis.
The two KO artists will meet in Lewis' hometown of Houston, Texas next week at UFC 271 on the undercard of Israel Adesanya's rematch with Robert Whittaker.
And Tuivasa, who is famous for celebrating his UFC knockouts with his notorious 'shoey' where he drinks from a fan's shoe, says he had been drinking heavily when he agreed to face Lewis.
The American is one of the most fearsome punchers in the UFC, as well as being one of the most beloved personalities in the sport for his unique interview style.
Both men are known for their outlandish characters, and the fight has been earmarked as a potential barn burner given their two explosive styles.
"I was on the p**," Tuivasa told ESPN of the moment when he was offered the fight. "I was blind [from drinking].
"I didn't notice until the next morning that [UFC matchmaker] Mick Maynard messaged me and I had messaged back.
"He messaged, 'Are you awake,' and I was like, 'Yeah', this was at like 4:30 in the morning.
"And then I woke up to 20 missed calls from my manager, from my coach Shaun Sullivan and s*** like that, so I was like 'something must have happened'.
"And then it came up, and why not? Why wouldn't I? It's a great opportunity."
Lewis has challenged for the world heavyweight title, as well as the interim belt on a number of occasions, while Australian Tuivasa is still up-and-coming.
It's a considerable step up for the Aussie fighter, but one he is happy to take in the effort to become, for all intents and purposes, the new Lewis.
"Obviously, he's No. 2 or No. 3 or whatever he is," Tuivasa continued. "He's a fan favourite, I'm a fan favourite.
"I really respect Derrick, what he's done and the person he is.
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"Why wouldn't I say yes? I think it's all win-win, it's an opportunity for me, so I'm all in and I think it's my time, it's my time to take over and become the new fighter of my generation, just like he was before me.
"I think it's my time to take over."
And despite working with former heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who out-grappled and submitted Lewis in an unexciting 2018 title defence, Tuivasa insists his style won't change.
Fans are expecting an explosive knockout on either end of the bout, and he promises that will happen if he can fight how he plans to.
"I'm definitely not going to go out and run for his legs; that's just not in me, and it's not my style, and I don't think it's his style.
"I'm younger, I think I'm faster," Tuivasa added. "I've got the aggression, and my style is probably going to be really hard for him.
"But I'll worry about me - Derrick's the same, as he worries about himself and what he's good at.
"So that's what the fight's going to be, it's going to be a battle of who's going to land the shot first, and who's going to execute it the best.
"And I feel like I've got what it takes to put him away."
