As Thiago Alves prepares for his upcoming bout with UFC newcomer, Papy Abedi, at UFC 138, the "Pitbull" promises to deliver finishes in his future fights according to tatame.com.

"I'll never let it go to the judges ever again. It took me a long time to start fighting, but I've learned what I had to learn, I've seen it all. Now I only have to trust my talent and on my team and go for it. I'll try to knock him out or submit all opponents from now on. I'll be aggressive again," Alves said

Alves (18-8), who's 1-3 in his last four fights, points to the pressures tied with his future and career as his reasons for being gun-shy in his recent bouts.

"I used to fight with nothing to lose. I had no worries whatsoever, I just fought to have fun, but when you reach a certain level you have to worry more, you start focusing on your future and forget about the present. But it's all learning. I have really high expectations, I want to be one of the biggest champions and I have to go through all of this to learn and mature. I have no excuses, no I have to work hard and go for it," Alves added.

His bout with Abedi is one which definitely favors Alves. Not only does the Brazilian hold a more impressive resume, UFC 138 would be Abedi's first fight with a major MMA promotion, he also has experience to boot. Alves has fought over three times the amount of fights when compared to Abedi's 8-0 record.

"He has never fought in a big event, and UFC is a completely different thing. There are many advantages on my side, but I can't count on that. I have to train the most I can...do my best when it comes," Alves said.

Alves is currently training with a new focus on wrestling and muay thai at American Top Team as well as preparing to fight a left handed fighter similar to Abedi. Should Alves win his fight against Abedi, it would help him return to form within the welterweight rankings and set up a future bout with a more established fighter.

"I love this. It's a hard competition, and that motivates me more to work harder. There are many new guys, but I can defeat anybody," Alves said.