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SAO PAULO – When Jack Marshman fights Antonio Carlos Junior on Saturday, he knows he’ll also be facing his most hostile crowd yet.

But it’s going to take a lot more than that to faze the middleweight.

With a mere three-hour difference from his home, Marshman (22-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is not too worried about Brazil’s time. Nor is he concerned about the local food or the fact he’s coming into the bout a big underdog. In fact, whether it’s in a parking lot or in front of 30,000 people, nothing changes one simple fact: It’s only him and Junior (8-2-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) inside the cage.

And even that doesn’t seem like such a big concern.

“I’ve done a lot more things in my life than having to worry about fighting in front of a group of people booing, really,” Marshman told MMAjunkie ahead of UFC Fight Night 119, which takes place at Ibirapuera Stadium in Sao Paulo. “So it’s not going to make a difference to me.”

It’s easy to see where Marshman is coming from when, among those “lot more things,” sits an almost decade-long stretch in the army that included stints in Afghanistan. Marshman, in fact, is still serving as a paratrooper – though, recently, he’s been getting more lenient hours to focus on his octagon career.

As for how that type of experience has translated to the cage? Well, Marshman explains, just watch any of his old fights.

“My mental toughness is – I’ll win a fight and I’ll look like I’ve been hit by a bus every time,” Marshman said. “I know that, but that’s the way I fight. That’s probably a lot do do with the army and all the things I’ve been through with them. I’m not really fazed by any situation.”

Right now, the situation is his FS2-televised preliminary card meeting with Junior. A “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3” heavyweight winner, the Brazilian has recovered from an inconsistent early UFC run with three consecutive wins. While he’s shown improved striking, the black belt is mostly known for his grappling.

Marshman isn’t exactly in a slump himself, having most recently bounced back from his sole UFC loss, a knockout to Thiago Santos, with a decision over Ryan Janes. Overall, he’s won eight of his past nine bouts – including a knockout over Christopher Jacquelin that earned him the vacant Cage Warriors middleweight belt.

All in all, Marshman isn’t too worried about Junior’s ground game. After all, he says, he has seen fighters like judoka Daniel Kelly getting the better of Junior on top once he got tired. Not to mention that, as he heads into his 39th professional MMA bout, Marshman has never once lost via submission.

Still, Marshman explains, it’s “one of those things.”

“Obviously I ain’t stupid, I realize the level of opponent I’m grappling with,” Marshman said. “But I think if I can get him tired – I ain’t scared to go anywhere, with anyone. But we all know what I’m looking to try to do to him and what he’s looking to try to do to me.”

As unbothered as Marshman might seem when it comes to what happens outside the cage, that’s not entirely true. As the UFC’s first Welsh fighter – though no longer the only one, after the addition of Brett Johns – he does take it upon himself to carry that flag.

So, while he’s not wasting too much time thinking about possible matchups and his ascent up the rankings, he does have one thing he’d like to see happening.

“I’m really proud,” Marshman said. “I’m massively proud. I’m very proud of my army background and I’m probably more proud of the Welsh thing. Because we’re a small nation and all of a sudden we’ve got three guys in the UFC, we’ve got a couple more coming through that are looking really good.

“You’ll see from social media and stuff, how much they get behind us. That’s why I’d love the UFC to come to Wales.”

To hear from Marshman, check out the video above.

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