Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) is very happy with how his life has been going lately. He expects that soon it will get even better, as Friday marks the first defense of his IFL featherweight title against Shad Lierley (Pictures) at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.

Fabiano first came to the IFL as a replacement for the injured Ivan Menjivar (Pictures) just more than a year ago. Since then he hasn't looked back, racking up an impressive 5-0 record in IFL competition, culminating in his championship-winning performance over L.C. Davis on Dec. 29.

Now with an overall tally of 9-1, the 32-year-old Fabiano, who splits his time between his native Brazil and adopted Canada, looks to cement his position as a top-tier fighter with another impressive win. But as good as he has done in the past year, he told Sherdog.com that he's not entirely satisfied.

Fabiano is the epitome of humble.

"I'm very happy with my success so far, but it's another challenge for me because I have to defend," he said.

In the 2-1 Lierley, Fabiano will be taking on someone who on the surface seems not quite ready for a match of this importance. However, Fabiano isn't dismissing his opponent based solely on his minimal experience. Lierley poses a threat, the IFL champion said, and he knows he'll be in for a fight.

"Yeah, he doesn't have too many fights, but that doesn't mean anything these days," Fabiano said. "He's a tough fighter. He's a good wrestler, good boxer and he deserves a shot. I know he's a very good athlete -- very strong."

To add a little boost to his fight preparation, Fabiano spent the past two weeks in New York with longtime friend and IFL coach Renzo Gracie (Pictures).

"Renzo has been in my life a long time," Fabiano explained proudly. "I was training with him when I was 13 years old, and he's a great man. He's one of my idols, and I'm very happy to be here under his name."

Fabiano didn't have a prediction for the bout, but he did have some words that to him amount to pretty much the same thing.

"MMA is so fast and anything can happen," he said, "and I just come prepared for this war."