UFC 137: Cheick Kongo on Matt Mitrione: "I'm Going to Knock Him Out"

Cheick Kongo (17-6-2) was last seen during the comeback of his life, when he knocked out Pat Barry in the first round of their UFC Live bout in June. Now he gets a chance to put on another show for MMA fans when he faces Ultimate Fighter Matt Mitrione (5-0) at UFC 137, which goes down this weekend at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“If I get the chance to fight (for the title), I would be happy,” Kongo said, according to a fight preview from UFC.com. “I know the line is very long, but hopefully, yes, I would like to fight for the belt as soon as possible.”

Kongo's victory over Barry was only his second win since April of 2009. It's been a long road for the UFC heavyweight since he made his UFC debut in 2006—and he's never had a shot at the belt.

“Everyone gets a chance to face someone famous,” Kongo continued. “It’s a good thing for him. Matt is a likable guy and has done well so far; I respect him as a fighter and expect for him to give a good fight. Ultimately, he's going to be ready for the bout. I’ve fought for so many years and been so careful.  I learn a lot from my last mistakes and I will do my best."

Mitrione comes into the fight with all five of his bouts having taken place in the UFC. His wins include those over Christian Morecraft, Tim Hague, Joey Beltran, Kimbo Slice and Marcus Jones.

“Well, I don't have anything to say about that,” Kongo responded to a question about what concerns he has about his opponent. “I’ll be aware of his boxing, jiu-jitsu and wrestling. In the last fight, I guessed incorrectly and he [Barry] was on top of me. He surprised me and I didn't expect it. Now I'm getting better. And I'd just like to be better for the next time, everybody improves. I came here to win and I will win. I’m going to knock him out.”

The fight can be seen on pay-per-view this Saturday. The event will be headlined by a welterweight matchup between former UFC champion B.J. Penn and former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz.

Other main card bouts include Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop, Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson.

*Photo credit by Tracy Lee for Yahoo! Sports