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With 10 fights under his belt, UFC 175's Matt Mitrione finally feels at home

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LAS VEGAS – Matt Mitrione’s mentor, UFC veteran Chris Lytle, has constantly reminded him that things won’t truly click in his MMA career until his 10th fight under the UFC banner.

His most recent octagon appearance, a first-round knockout of Shawn Jordan this past March, marked that significant milestone for Mitrione. Now he feels at home inside the octagon.

“I would have a very surreal, almost lucid, dream-stateish feelings in the middle of a fight,” Mitrione told MMAjunkie of his previous fights. “It was like, ‘Holy s–t, I’m actually fighting right now. I should probably do something.’ In my last fight, I was just completely coherent. I felt great, I knew exactly what I was doing the whole time, and even though it was a bit of a slow start, I feel like I was in control of my capabilities at all times. Hopefully that will maintain.”

Mitrione is a rare commodity in the UFC. He’s one of just two active fighters on the roster who have fought all their professional bouts for the organization. Diving into the deep end from the moment he started after appearing on Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” competing has been a challenging ride, but one he’s grateful for.

“Needless to say, there’s going to be growing pains,” Mitrione said. “I only had six months of training when I came into the UFC. I’m going to make mistakes, and unfortunately I cut my teeth in front of 5 million people. It’s rough at times, but then again I also made really good money from the jump, had hype coming off ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and I didn’t have to cut my teeth on the regional circuits and worry about checks being bounced. Checks from the UFC don’t bounce. I’m fortunate in that aspect. You’ve got to take the good with the bad.”

Prior to his victory over Jordan, Mitrione produced mixed results during his career. He opened his UFC career with five consecutive victories, but since then has won just two of five bouts.

It has been an up-and-down road for “Meathead.” But he believes the Jordan fight marked a cornerstone moment in his career. He used to have an indescribable feeling when he stepping in the cage, but after the Jordan fight, the 35-year-old feels far more comfortable.

“In the middle of (fighting) I would be just like, ‘Wow, this is really going on, I should throw a jab or something,'” Mitrione said. “It was just a really strange feeling. I would have this really tripped out feeling. Almost like I’m getting a flashback.

“I got my 10th (fight) and I don’t know, that’s my magic number. I finally got in … and it clicked. Hopefully it will for this fight too.”

Mitrione’s (7-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) next bout comes Saturday night at UFC 175. He’ll face towering heavyweight Stefan Struve (25-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) on the pay-per-view main card, which follows prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass from Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Struve, who stands 7-feet tall, is a dangerous opponent for Mitrione both on the feet and ground. The grappling portion of MMA is something Mitrione has struggled to grasp, as evident from his first-round submission loss to Brendan Schaub this past year.

While it’s possible Struve could add another submission defeat to his win column, Mitrione isn’t flustered by that prospect. Mitrione believes he should be capable of beating any fighter, regardless of style.

“This is going to be my 11th fight in the UFC, so I need to start earning my keep,” Mitrione said. “I’ve won the fights I should have won and I lost the ones that were questionable. It’s up to me now to get out there and perform. I think I’m one of the best heavyweights in the world and I want to perform to my expectations.”

One aspect of the fight that may teeter in Mitrione’s favor is punching power. He has a proven ability to finish a fight with one strike. But even though Struve has suffered all of his UFC losses by knockout, Mitrione isn’t relying on his opponent’s chin.

“The heavyweights have got heavy hands,” Mitrione said. “I’ve got a dense skeleton; I throw hammers. It is what it is. In our division, anyone can get starched. Mike Russow starched Todd Duffee (at UFC 114). It can happen. I don’t think he’s more susceptible (to the knockout), he’s just fought the best of the best in the business.”

Struve’s height translates into the longest reach of any fighter in the heavyweight division. Despite that, Mitrione doesn’t see himself as being at a disadvantage.

In fact, with the key 10th UFC fight behind him, Mitrione has high expectations for his future.

“I don’t think it will be at (any) disadvantage whatsoever,” Mitrione said. “I’ve got arms almost as long as his. I’m aggressive and even though I haven’t shown it, I’ve got a ground game I can work with.”

For more on UFC 175, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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