CHARLOTTE – Andre Fili admits that when he first joined the UFC, he wasn’t taking things seriously. He was partying a lot, he was drinking too much, and he wasn’t focused. And because of this, it felt like he was just going through the motions of his MMA career.

Fast forward a little more than four years, and everything has changed.

“I’m back to having fun,” Fili told MMAjunkie on Wednesday ahead of his UFC on FOX 27 co-headliner vs. Dennis Bermudez. “I started treating this like a job. I started treating it like a 9-to-5, and I wasn’t really having fun. I was just sort of doing it to get through it and pay the bills. But I’m back to enjoying it again. I fell back in love with it.

“I remembered that I started doing this when I was 14 or 15, and my dream was to be in the UFC and be a world champion. I’m right on track. I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Some people never get that chance. … I’m just thankful to be in this spot.”

It helps that Fili’s lifestyle outside of fighting is better. For starters, he has a solid girlfriend – and a cute puppy. Most of all, he has priorities in order.

“I barely leave my house,” Fili said. “If I’m not at the gym, I’m home. If I’m not at the gym, I’m in bed reading comic books and hanging out with my girlfriend and my dog.”

The overriding theme with the 27-year-old Fili (17-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) these days is that he’s matured. And because he’s matured, he expects that to reflect inside the octagon when he meets Bermudez (16-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC). You might say it already has.

In his last outing, Fili was forced to deal with a big factor outside of his matchup against Artem Lobov. With Lobov teammate Conor McGregor in attendance at Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland, there was every reason to be distracted. But Fili stayed focused, and even engaged in a little trash-talk with the UFC lightweight champion before scoring a unanimous-decision win over Lobov in front of a hostile crowd.

Fili insists there wasn’t any added pressure given the circumstances, because he puts enough pressure on himself stemming from his association with Team Alpha Male.

“I’m from a lineage of dudes who are the baddest motherf*ckers in this sport,” Fili said. “If there’s pressure, it’s to keep up with them, to not fall behind. If there’s pressure, I put it on myself to kind of hold the team up. I’m supposed to be the next generation of this sort of dynasty. That’s all I give a shit about. I don’t care about anybody else’s team.”

“Conor making a big spectacle, I loved it,” he continuned. “Even in the moment, I loved it. I just enjoy that. I enjoy confrontation. I enjoy causing a scene, and everybody is looking on the edge of their seat. … It was a reminder to me, kind of put a stamp on things, that I love this.”

Fili was surprised that his performance against Lobov wasn’t enough to launch him into the top 15 of the official UFC rankings, despite the fact that he’s alternated wins and losses over the course of his UFC stint.

A win over Bermudez would give Fili his first winning streak in the UFC and help him make a case to climb the rankings. Not that it matters much to him, though.

“I don’t know how those rankings work. They defy logic,” Fili said. “I think this sport and life in general is pretty much a popularity contest. I’m co-main event, it’s a big stage, and when I knock this motherf*cker out, I’m getting my stock raised.”

To hear more from Fili, watch the video above.

And for more on UFC on FOX 27, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.