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TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 09: (L-R) Light Heavyweight opponents Krzysztof Soszynski and Igor Pokrajac face off after weighing in during the UFC 140 Official Weigh-in at the Air Canada Centre on December 9, 2011 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Igor Pokrajac

TRAINING: I didn’t change much from my routine that I do before my other fights. Mornings are reserved for strength and conditioning, afternoons are more for Thai boxing and grappling, and in between I’m doing lot of media related to the UFC 131 event in Canada.

Thoughts on opponent, Krzysztof Soszynski? I’m very motivated for this fight. I knew that I would fight with Krzysztof Soszynski soon and the fight came at the right moment; Joe Silva called me and asked me if I will step in because Anthony Perosh was not able to fight because of medical reasons. Krzysztof is a great and brave fighter. I’m coming to his country, but in Canada there also lives a big population of Croatians and I won’t be alone there. Therefore I will bring them what the UFC is all about - as real as it gets.

When and why did you start training for fighting? 1999. I started to train wrestling, and in 2001, I helped Mirko with his first fight in MMA against Fujita, with wrestling, of course. My first fight was in 2003. I find myself in the MMA world and I’m very happy to be a part of it.

What ranks and titles have you held? I was ranked as top 10 in Europe.

Do you have any heroes? I like to say that I was born and raised in Cro Cop Team. My hero is Cro Cop.

What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? My whole fighting career I was waiting for something big. I was very passionate and did my part of the job, training hard, and learning new things from top fighters like Mirko Cro Cop, Dean Lister, Marcio Corleta, Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Yvel and many others. I was fortunate to train with those athletes, especially with Mirko, who made this all possible for me. UFC...it means everything to me, and as the leading organization in the world, I’m honored to be part of it.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? I’m still at University of Kinesiology.

What was your job before you started fighting? I was a student.

Specific accomplishments in pro competition? Won Durata Grand Prix and the belt of Durata Grand Prix

Favorite grappling technique: Rear naked choke

Favorite Striking technique: All techniques from Thai Boxing