After keeping things standing on his UFC debut, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Philipe Lins is hoping to show off his ground game when he makes his second appearance in the octagon.

Lins (14-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) faces Tanner Boser this Saturday at UFC on ESPN 12, where he will look to notch his first promotional win.

Lins, a Bellator and PFL veteran, realized his ultimate goal in 2018 when he won the one-million-dollar prize by stopping four straight opponents en route to the PFL heavyweight championship.

Though his UFC debut didn’t go his way, Lins is confident heading into his matchup with Boser, and thinks his ground game will ultimately make the difference.

“I’ve seen his fights,” Lins told MMA Junkie. “I’ve been watching videos every day, to find the best strategy. He’s dangerous. He’s a heavyweight who moves well. I do see some shortcomings in regard to his ground game. It’s a path I could explore during the fight. Since I enjoy striking, I’ll probably start with that. But I wouldn’t pass up a chance to take him down and get a submission. I’ll be ready.”

It’ll be a quick turnaround for Lins, who made his UFC debut last month in a unanimous decision loss to fellow American Top Team fighter, Andrei Arlovski.

Lins thought he won that fight and is happy for the opportunity to be able to bounce back quickly when he competes just over a month later.

“It was a very short period between my last bout, against Andrei Arlovski, and this one,” Lins said. “I’m honored that I was given the opportunity to fight in the UFC again so soon. I’m very happy. I believe that, since the UFC was looking for an opponent for Tanner, and since I didn’t get hurt in my last fight, I was chosen. I think they also expect us to have an excellent fight. He’s a striker. I too enjoy striking. I think those factors were taken into account for me to be brought back in such a short time.

“I’ve watched my fight against Arlovski several times. I think it was a mistake on the part of the judges. I believe I won the first two rounds. Of course, it was a close fight. What I could have done differently is to be more aggressive. I should have pressured him more, and cut him off. He kept walking backward. I just let it happen. I should have cut him off. Some takedowns, perhaps, would have changed the end result. I still say I won. But that’s what the judges are there to see. When we see one thing, they might be focused on something else. It happens. We’re off to the next one.”

UFC on ESPN 12 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.