The road to Anthony Ivy’s UFC debut was a bit more chaotic than most fighters before him.

Ivy, who originally was set to make his first walk to the octagon against Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 250 before Ian Heinisch was able to compete due following a false positive COVID-19 result for one of his cornermen, will now face fellow newcomer Christian Aguilera this Saturday at UFC on ESPN 10. The event takes place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas and will be headlined by Jessica Eye and Cynthia Calvillo in a women’s flyweight bout.

“Aquaman” joined MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck for an exclusive interview to discuss being removed from UFC 250 hours after agreeing to face Meerschaert, why getting an extra week to prepare was a blessing in disguise, his exciting fighting style, what he learned from his greatest rival, how he sees the fight playing out, and his reaction to what is going on in the U.S.