FiveKnuckles.com: You're at a point in your career where if you get a couple more wins, you could very well be facing the top fighters in your division. Guys like Urijah Faber and Mike Brown. Possibly even a title shot with Jose Aldo, or whoever may be holding the belt. Is this something you're ready to face?

Mackens Semerzier: Yeah man. I think as time progresses and I keep building my skill set, those big fights are going to be on the table. If I keep testing myself against stiff competition and hopefully winning or learning the lessons in those fights, I'll be ready to go up against those guys. My foremost issue is always size because you see people on television looking bigger than they really are. Now, I train with guys a lot bigger than what my opponent will weigh in at, but when you see fighters in person, you get a better feel for the situation. I went to the fighter summit this past November and the mystique started to wear off. Everybody is just like me, there's nobody special. We've all worked hard for what we've achieved. If a person works hard, they can be successful no matter what they do. I feel that I can compete with those guys and will in the near future.

FiveKnuckles.com: You choked out Wagnney Fabiano in your last fight at WEC 43. Many fans of the sport considered it an upset being that Wagnney is an experienced vet and you're very young in your career. How did that fight with Wagnney matriculate?

Mackens Semerzier: Former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres and I have a mutual friend that hooked us up so I went up to Miguel's gym to help him get ready for his fight with Takeya Mizugaki this past April. I also helped him train and cornered him for his last fight with Brian Bowles. When we were in Vegas for the fight with Bowles, Miguel introduced me to everybody. He knew what I was capable of so he was talking me up to certain people. He introduced me to Mr. Reed Harris, he introduced me to WEC matchmaker Sean Shelby, Super Dave and all the people involved with WEC. Now, I'm sure they were all a little bit weary, but they think highly of Miguel so if it was coming from him, they would definitely listen.

At the time the opportunity arose to fight Wagnney, I had a fight scheduled in the week before WEC 43. I was all happy because I just finished my last hard workout in preparation for the fight that I was supposed to be in. It was a Friday night, and my buddy and I were watching America's Dumbest Criminals when I got a text from Miguel that said: "Fabiano's opponent at WEC 43 dropped out, what do you think?" Now, I wasn't sure if I understood what he was saying so I contemplated the question for a second. I figured I didn't really care about the situation so I an swered back as if I was now being considered as a replacement,...