Sports competitions are often considered like chess matches, and when you face the same opponent twice, the second time is different because you and your opponent are going to come at each other with different preparation, tactics and strategy.

With a little over a month until his rematch against Hassan N’Dam, Ryota Murata said that the biggest difference for him going into his second fight against the Cameroonian-French is his mentality.

"It's completely different," Murata (12-1, nine knockouts) said of his mindset, comparing what it was before his first N'Dam bout at Teiken Gym on Friday. "This time, I can go into the fight with a certain level of confidence.