New for this camp I am working with Bryan Doo and Armand Lavallee, who are the strength and conditioning coaches for the Boston Celtics. They are working me hard, harder than I've ever worked before, but it's worth it because I'm in the best shape of my life. I am very interested to see how all this hard work pays off in the Octagon.

FiveKnuckles: You just released a video where you poke a bit of fun at Nate's previous videos and let him know you're coming for him, what was the motivation for doing the video?

Nate is a funny guy, the videos he did where hilarious. What a lot of people don't know about me is that I have a good sense of humor as well. I wanted to have a bit of fun, promote the fight, support my sponsor Ranger Up, but also I wanted to send a message to Nate that all jokes aside, when we step into the Octagon, it's gonna be a war. I have tremendous respect for Nate as a fighter and a professional and consider it an honor to do battle with him.

FiveKnuckles: Tell me what it was like to be on Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Rivera: It was kind of like being in the military for me. I didn't necessarily love it at the time, but it was a great experience that shaped me into the person I am today. TUF was the same thing, I didn't really like being on the show, but it was good for me, it made me a better fighter. It was great to see how other people where training. It also really opened my eyes to how important strength and conditioning is to overall success and longevity in this sport.

FiveKnuckles: You fought Terry Martin at UFC 67, during that fight Terry caught you with a vicious blow that broke your jaw, how did that injury effect you?

Rivera: It was tough; I was sidelined for a year. The tougher part about that injury is that it screwed with my head; my confidence was shaken. I was afraid to get hit like that again. I've never told anyone else that before, because I had to work through it. I honestly believe that the fight game is largely mental. The victory over Kendall Grove helped restore my confidence. I am a firm believer that if you believe something will happen and you take the steps to make it happen, then it will happen. That's what I've done when it comes to getting my edge and warrior spirit back. I'm 100% ready to step in the Octagon and trade blows with anyone. I'm actually excited!

FiveKnuckles: You mentioned the fight with Kendall; you were a big underdog going into that fight, yet you scored a devastating victory. How did that fight impact your career?

Rivera: It was great because it helped restore my confidence as a fighter and let the fans and...