• UFC 132

Winner feeling 'no pressure' ahead of must-win war

Andre Winner has one-punch knockout power © UFC

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Andre Winner enters a must-not-lose battle with Anthony Njokuani at UFC 132 this weekend, insisting he will not crack under the pressure of knowing his career is on the line.

Winner has lost two on the bounce, to Nik Lentz and Dennis Siver, and in the most stacked division in the UFC, a third defeat will surely spell the end of his stay in MMA's top promotion.

Njokuani faces a similar scenario, having won only one of his last four, so both men will be leaving everything in the Octagon in Las Vegas this weekend.

Winner is surely feeling the pressure of the knife-edge situation? Not according to him.

"I don't feel pressure," he told ESPN. "There is pressure, but every fight I want to win. I don't think, 'I can afford to lose this one and then win my next one'. I never feel like that.

"I wanted to go through my career undefeated. That's where the pressure comes from. Some fighters probably try to see how long they can stay in the UFC, but I want to be a champion.

"But be realistic, they've got 300 fighters and only seven champions. So many guys are going to be disappointed. But I want to be a champion. If I didn't think I could do it, I wouldn't keep training."

Njokuani is unpredictable, his last win came via TKO inflicted by an elbow, but Winner has seen holes in his rival's game.

"I think he's one of the best strikers in the lightweight division. He's rangy, he's very game, I'm happy with the match-up," said the Brit. "If you let him do what he wants to do, he's very good.

"But he's an open fighter, and he's an exciting fighter, so there are opportunities to catch him. I'm going out there to knock him out. It's a big fight, and I'm going there to win in impressive fashion."

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