UFC Fight Night 55: Ross Pearson will knock Al Iaquinta out in 30 seconds if he doesn't come to Sydney with his best

Now that Ross Pearson has put his devastating decision loss to Diego Sanchez -- which many believe should have went his way -- behind him thanks to a second-round knockout of Gray Maynard, "Real Deal" will look to keep the momentum rolling.

And the Brit will look to do so this Friday (Nov. 7, 2014) when he faces Al Iaquinta in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 55: "Rockhold vs. Bisping" in Sydney, Australia, which will air on Fight Pass.

But, Pearson won't be happy unless he gets a finish over the former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15 contestant. As he puts it, getting a decision victory over a man who is inferior to him in all aspects of mixed martial arts (MMA) just won't do anything for his own career.

Furthermore, during his conversation with UFC.com, Pearson advised Iaquinta to come in the best form ever if he wants to avoid getting put to sleep in less than one minute.

His words:

"This has been the most stacked division out of all of them. You've got to be active and you've got to be decisive. Al Iaquinta isn't a ranked guy, so I've got to go in there and show what a ranked guy can do. I've got to go in there and put on a world-class performance - make some noise and show the world that I'm is one of the best fighters in the world. I don't fear Al Iaquinta in any way. I don't fear his striking, I don't fear his wrestling and I don't fear his Jiu-Jitsu. I don't think he's a better fighter than me. I don't think he's got more heart than me and I don't think he's got more want than me. I believe it's going to be a tough fight and I think Al's going to come as the best Al Iaquinta you've ever seen, but he has to be because if he isn't, he's going to get knocked out in the first 30 seconds. If this fight goes to a decision, it does nothing for me - I've got to finish this guy, I've got to look great, and I've got to scream out that I'm a Top 5 fighter wanting to go against the best guys in the world. I'm prepared for the worst, but I expect the best and I won't be happy unless I finish Al Iaquinta in impressive fashion."

Bold prediction.

Iaquinta got back on the winning track at UFC Fight Night 50, defeating Rodrigo Damm via third-round technical knockout (TKO) after having his three-fight win streak snapped by Mitche Clarke at UFC 173.

And though he has yet to crack the top 15 in the rankings (see the list here), Iaquinta can make a case for himself if he can stop the longtime veteran Pearson.

Of course, he'll have to be near-perfect, according to Ross, because anything less will spell disaster.