Chris Kelades from Cole Harbour, N.S., battles Patrick Holohan from Ireland in their flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 4 in Halifax on Oct. 4, 2014. Wintering in Florida has been no holiday for Canadian Chris (The Greek Assassin) Kelades. The 35-year-old flyweight from Cole Harbour, N.S., has been hard at work since Jan. 3 in the Sunshine State, training at the American Top Team gym in Coconut Creek, Fla., while living in a dorm above the newly expanded gym. Kelades (9-2-0) will put that training to use Saturday when he takes on Sergio Pettis, ranked 14th among 125-pound contenders in the UFC, at UFC 197 in Las Vegas. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Andrew Vaughan

Wintering in Florida has been no holiday for Canadian Chris (The Greek Assassin) Kelades.

The 35-year-old flyweight from Cole Harbour, N.S., has been hard at work since Jan. 3 in the Sunshine State, training at the American Top Team gym in Coconut Creek, Fla., while living in a dorm above the newly expanded facility. Kelades (9-2-0) will put that training to use Saturday when he takes on Sergio Pettis at UFC 197 in Las Vegas.

"I can't really wait to just get this fight down and spend some time at home, for sure," Kelades said.

The 22-year-old Pettis (13-2-0), who's ranked 14th among 125-pound contenders in the UFC, is the younger brother of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony (Showtime) Pettis.

Former light-heavyweight title-holder Jon (Bones) Jones, ranked No. 1 among 205-pound contenders, faces No. 6 Ovince Saint-Preux in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It marks Jones's comeback fight after a stormy year that saw him stripped of his title and included several run-ins with the law.

Saint-Preux replaced current champion Daniel (DC) Cormier, who pulled out April 1 with a leg injury.

This marks Kelades's second fight camp at ATT. He also spent time there before his split decision win last August over Chris (The Real Deal) Beal.

"It's a great place to train. It's good to just be secluded and dedicate all the time to training," he said.

Kelades says he has had between six and 10 fighters at 135 pounds and below to train with.

"It really pushes you and keeps you on your toes. It's great to train with these guys," he added.

Kelades made an instant impression in October 2014 when he debuted in the UFC in Halifax. Summoned as an injury replacement on five days notice — he had already bought tickets for the televised show — the underdog Kelades won a gritty decision over previously undefeated against Patrick (The Hooligan) Holohan of Ireland.

In the process, the only Nova Scotian on the card made history by becoming the first Canadian 125-pounder to fight in the UFC.

Kelades, who walked out to Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower,'' got a rock-star reception of his own from the sold-out hometown crowd at the Scotiabank Centre. He also earned a US$50,000 bonus for fight of the night.

"That was definitely a launching point, for sure," said Kelades. "It was a pretty exciting first fight."

He subsequently was submitted by Ray (The Tazmexican Devil) Borg in February 2015 in Broomfield, Colo., his only previous fight outside of Canada.

"Life hasn't changed a whole lot really," he said of being a UFC fighter. "It's just the same — plugging away. It's just there's more at stake, I guess you could say."

Fighting in Las Vegas will help make the eight months since the Beal fight more palatable.

"It's definitely on the bucket list," he said of Sin City.

Kelades, an Energizer Bunny of a fighter, has had success wearing down his opponents although a resilient Beal tested him last time out.

"I learned from it," said Kelades. "It was a close fight. It's tough to finish guys at this level. I'm always looking for it. But I've just got to be a little more patient and be a little more calculated. That's what I'm looking for in this fight."

Pettis, 4-2 in the UFC, is coming off a decision win over Chris Cariaso in October.

Kelades was born in Dallas where his Canadian parents went to school before returning home. The dual citizenship helps his trips to train south of the border.

He got into MMA via Brazilian jiu-jitsu but didn't start training in the sport until his mid-20s. He says there are pluses and minuses to that — his body had escaped damage but his time is short.

"I still love it and enjoy it," he said. "It's like anything. When you work with your passion, it doesn't mean there's not hard days or hard work, but you enjoy the process."

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