“I love Newcastle,” the 28 year old said. “The arena has a special feeling to it, and every time I’ve fought here, the energy has been different. It feels like home.
“We’re breaking into the world stage now, taking on an international opponent, and we’re at the point where we need more experience. There’s a lot of attention around me, but not enough experience yet, so we need to lift that.
“I know enough about Diaz to understand how I need to approach the fight and what I need to do to win. The Newcastle crowd is always rowdy. There’s some kind of energy that flows through here. It feels pure Australian out here, and I love that.”