Even with "a full plate" of duties every day, Brandon Wolff is hungry for another opportunity to fight in the prestigious UFC organization.

He will get a second helping Saturday when he faces Japan's Yoshiyuki Yoshida on the undercard of the UFC 98 event at Las Vegas.

"This is a huge opportunity for me, one I thought I might not get," said Wolff, who is from Kailua. "Yeah, I have to juggle work and training, and running a gym, but I'm lucky I still get to fight in the UFC so I have no complaints."

Wolff has spent the past few months training for Yoshida in between his daytime work duties at Linxx Security and his nighttime duties as owner of the MMA Development gym in Kailua.

"Every day is a full plate," said Wolff, 33. "But it's what I have to do to put myself in this position."

A typical day for Wolff starts with an early-morning workout at 5:30 a.m. He then gets to work at 8 a.m., and trains for an hour during his lunch break.

After work, he instructs youth students at the MMAD gym before he can go through his own late-night training.

"It would be nice to get financial support from a big sponsor," Wolff said. "But until that happens, I have to work, have to go through this kind of schedule."

The schedule didn't work to his advantage the last time.

In his UFC debut against Ben Saunders in December, Wolff lost via first-round TKO. Wolff walked away from the bout with gruesome contusions on his face after taking several knees from Saunders.

When the cameras showed a close-up of Wolff's face during the telecast, the crowd let out a collective gasp of horror.

"My face pretty much got rearranged," Wolff said. "That's not how you want to make your debut. I was worried (the UFC) would cut me after that. That's why I really want to do something with this second chance."

Wolff said his vision was blurry for two weeks after the loss to Saunders, and he did not receive clearance to spar for two months.

Mentally, however, he was fine.

"I wanted redemption right away," he said. "I knew I had to recover physically, but I was hungry to fight anybody after that. If they told me I had to fight the next day, I would have."

Instead, Wolff had about three months to prepare for Yoshida.

Wolff has a professional record of 7-3; Yoshida is 10-3. The bout will be in the welterweight (170 pounds) division.

"I went about 10 to 12 weeks training for (Yoshida's) style," Wolff said. "I know he's not afraid to stand and strike, but I expect him to close the distance and try to take me to the ground. I have to set up my strikes properly and try to keep the fight on my feet."

Yoshida is a former member of Japan's national judo team.

Wolff is a former Navy SEAL who is known for his stamina and all-around skills.

"So many guys dream about fighting in the UFC," he said. "I get to live that dream and I want to make the most of it."

NOTES

Saturday's card will be televised via pay-per-view, but Wolff's bout is not scheduled to be part of the broadcast.

Light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans will defend his title against Lyoto Machida in the main event of Saturday's card.

Wolff is one of four Hawai'i fighters currently under contract with the UFC. The others are BJ Penn, Kendall Grove and Shane Nelson.