Despite having been involved in the sport for years, most of the MMA community knows Andre Winner from his recent stint on "The Ultimate Fighter" season 9. The viewing public watched the up-and-coming British lightweight out-class his competition week after week, en route to a birth in the lightweight final.

Winner has since gone on to show that his performance on "The Ultimate Fighter" was no fluke, winning his official UFC debut with a jaw-dropping knockout. Its truly hard to believe that the man who had no inclination to be a mixed martial artist, stands before us now as a future powerhouse in the UFC lightweight division.

Winner recently sat down with FiveKnuckles.com in an exclusive interview to discuss his most recent win, his time on the show, his up-coming bout at UFC Fight Night 21, and his bright future in the sport.

FiveKnuckles.com: First of all Andre, on behalf of the FiveKnuckles.com staff and readers, I would like to thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.

Winner: Thank you to you guys for reaching out to me.

FiveKnuckles.com: After losing a closely contested bout with your teammate Ross Pearson, you bounced back with a devastating knockout victory over Rolando Delgado in your official UFC debut. How big of an impact did the win have for you considering the dominate fashion in which you won?

Winner: I was pleased with the fight, but if I hadn't had won like that I would have been disappointed. It has made people take notice, but you get K.O.'s in the UFC like that all the time. There are so many good fighters in the UFC, so i have not let it go to my head.

FiveKnuckles.com: In the Delgado fight, it seemed from the start that you lacked no confidence. You pressed the action the entire fight and looked to be timing the big right hand that eventually scored the knockout. Was this something you noticed Delgado was susceptible to during your preparation for the fight and trained to exploit, or was it something you picked up on during the fight itself?

Winner: My team told that he would circle towards the right hand, so I knew I just had to throw it out there.

FiveKnuckles.com: Many people feel that you should have won knockout of the night honors for your win over Delgado. Were you a little disappointed that you did not?

Winner: No, I am happy with the win and K.O., that is the main thing. Although that bonus would have been nice. The UFC has always treated me well, so I'm just happy to be fighting and winning in the UFC.

FiveKnuckles.com: Speaking of memorable knockouts, what was going through your mind when Michael Bisping, your coach on "The Ultimate Fighter", was violently knocked out at UFC 100 by Team USA coach Dan Henderson

Winner: To be honest, Mike kept circling towards that right hand and it was only a matter of time before it landed. I was so disappointed for Mike. Hendo is a great fighter so there is no shame in losing to him. I don't think there are many people in the world that could have taken a punch like that.

FiveKnuckles.com: Some people may not know this, but you tried out for The Ultimate Fighter 8 and didn't make the show on that attempt. Did this early setback have any negative effect on you mentally, or did it simply motivate you to improve and come back...