Thiago Tavares (Pictures) will return to action Jan. 23 at UFC Fight Night 12 against Japanese fighter Michihiro Omigawa (Pictures).

"Since my fight against Tyson Griffin I've been training," Tavares told Sherdog.com. "I just took a rest for a week to recover from the fight. Since October 1, I've been training. I stayed in Rio until December 18, training along with Minotauro's team. After that I went to Florianópolis, where I focused my training on this fight. I trained seven days a week. I didn't enjoy Christmas, New Year's Eve or anything else."

After training at Brazilian Top Team's headquarters for previous fights, the 23-year-old lightweight is now a member of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures)'s team and will represent him.

"I decided to leave BTT because I always was Nogueira's close friend, plus [a friend of] other guys who train there, such as Thiago Jambo and Rafael Feijão," Tavares said. "Because I was training boxing at Nogueira's home everyday with Kelson Pinto, this change was natural. The training there is very good, as with BTT, but I have friends on Minotauro's team. Now I represent the Minotauro team and Ataque Duplo, from Florianópolis, where I started. I'm a student of Murilo Rupp and Peu."

Tavares (12-1) believes he won't have an easy time in the Octagon with Omigawa, despite the Japanese fighter's 4-5 record.

"He is a judo fighter, so we can expect a lot of rage and determination, especially since he is Japanese," Tavares said. "I'm also a judo black belt, so I know that any judoka doesn't go into a fight poorly trained. I know he will be well prepared to fight me."

The Brazilian hopes to win another fight of the night prize like he was awarded for his bout against Griffin. This time, though, Tavares also wants a victory.

"I'm ready for a war," Tavares said. "I won the best submission against Jason Black (Pictures) and the best fight against Tyson Griffin, but I didn't win [against Griffin]. I will please the audience with a war. I want to win the best fight prize, but this time, history will be told by me, not by my opponent."

With several high-class athletes competing at 155 pounds, Tavares expects a hard year ahead. He also warns his opponents that he is ready for them.

"It will be a hard year for everybody, but I'm ready for everything," he said. "After this fight, I don't want to overlook my opponent, but I will face athletes like Roger Huerta (Pictures) and Kenny Florian (Pictures), fighters that are rising in the UFC. I want to face them because I know that will improve my career. Like I always say, I'm not promising I will win, but I promise I'll do everything to win."