Pedro Carvalho believes he possesses all the necessary tools and experience to reach the top of the mountain in the Bellator MMA featherweight division.

The SBG Ireland representative will try to take the next step toward his ultimate goal when he does battle with Jeremy Kennedy in the Bellator 291 co-main event on Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. Carvalho holds a 6-3 record across his nine appearances in the promotion and claims to have extracted much from both his wins and his losses.

“Today, I’m a more mature fighter,” he told Sherdog.com. “I see the sport with different eyes now. I now have what it takes to capture the belt. It’s what I’ll do.”

Carvalho, 27, has learned to approach each challenge with careful consideration. Missteps like those he endured against Jay-Jay Wilson at Bellator 257 and Piotr Niedzielski at Bellator 280 often prove costly at his stage of development. Carvalho has climbed to No. 3 in the Bellator featherweight rankings behind former champion A.J. McKee and Hungarian standout Adam Borics.

“Considering my position, each step has to be calculated,” he said. “I don’t fight just to fight. My fights have to make sense. They have to get me closer to the title. It’s intentional. That’s why I find myself in my current spot. It’s the right opponent at the right time.”

In Kennedy, Carvalho faces a proven commodity who has tested himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Professional Fighters League. Only Alexander Volkanovski, Luis Rafael Laurentino and the aforementioned Borics—men with a combined record of 79-8—have managed to beat the Canadian.

“Jeremy is very consistent fighter,” Carvalho said. “That’s his best attribute. He doesn’t do anything shining or extraordinary. He’s a consistently good and precise fighter. He’s a good grappler. He likes to go for takedowns and to press you against the cage. He’ll go for top control but doesn’t deliver much damage from that position. He doesn’t have a ‘difference maker.’ Some fighters have the ability to change the outcome at any moment. I don’t feel Jeremy has anything that threatens me.

“I have to pay attention and not allow myself to be in situations where he can run out the clock,” he added. “That’s my main focus. I’ve been doing this for years, and I’m used to that. I can’t say exactly how I’ll win this fight, other than to say that I’m focused on winning. It can be by decision, knockout or submission. I’ll be ready.”

Carvalho has full confidence in the gameplan his coaches at SBG Ireland have designed.

“We spotted holes in his game, and they’ll be explored,” he said. “I won’t say what they are, but I’ll show them on fight night. I’m getting ready with my team. They’ve been my family in the sport for years now. That’s not going to change while I pursue the world championship.”

While Carvalho was born in Portugal, he feels a deep sense of loyalty to his adoptive homeland. The support he receives serves as additional inspiration.

“Fighting in Dublin in itself is special,” he said. “There’s nothing that compares with being the home fighter and having thousands of people rooting for you. Scoring another victory is the least I can do.”