ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Justin Willis isn’t surprised Chase Sherman was able to survive an early shot. After all, he thinks that was Sherman’s entire game plan – to simply survive.

“I knew he was going to come in trying to survive,” Willis told MMAjunkie. “That was his goal – just to survive. I could see it in his soul.

“All these guys that fight me, they’re just trying to survive. And what I have to do is tighten the noose a little bit better. That’s it. That’s all.”

Willis (7-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) topped fellow heavyweight Chase Sherman (11-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) via unanimous decision in a main-card bout at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 128 event, which aired on FS1 from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Willis wobbled his opponent with an early overhand left, but Sherman survived. Willis ultimately settled for the win via 29-28 scores.

Willis, a 30-year-old WSOF vet and former San Jose State University lineman, is now 3-0 under the UFC banner, and he hasn’t suffered a loss since his 2012 pro debut. He said he’s still a work in progress but is confident he’ll eventually be the best ever.

Sure, it’s big talk from an eight-fight vet who’s yet to crack the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, but he’s continuing to expand and sharpen his arsenal. But his mental game is already strong, he said. It’s why a little pre-fight banter like he had with Sherman was no big deal.

“I don’t dislike anybody, but if you fight me, but it’s all-out war right when I see you,” he said. “It’s all-out war 100 percent of the time. I don’t care who the f-ck you are. It is what is is.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 128, check out the UFC Events section of the site.