Mitch Gagnon knew it was only a matter of time before the UFC paired him with a top-ranked fighter.

Following an initial setback against Bryan Caraway during his promotional debut in 2012, the Sudbury, Ont. bantamweight has been on an absolute tear.

Over the past two-plus years, Gagnon's aggressive grappling has led him to consecutive victories over Walel Watson, Dustin Kimura, Tim Gorman and Roman Salazar. His first-round destruction of Kimura also earned him Submission of the Night honours at UFC 165 in Toronto last year.

Though Gagnon is confident he can hang with the 135-pound division's elite, he admitted to being surprised when UFC officials offered him a crack at Renan Barao.

"Obviously I think it's the perfect time, but did I think (Barao) would be offered to me? No," Gagnon told UFC.ca during a phone interview. "I was just ranked (in the top 15) after the fight (with Salazar). I really thought I would have had to fight a top-10 or top-five guy to get near the top. Do I think it's the perfect time for me? Yeah, I believe I'm putting everything together well and feel it's my time."

Gagnon gets the opportunity to stake his claim for a title shot when he meets Barao in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway in Barueri, Brazil Dec. 20.

It goes without saying a victory over the former UFC bantamweight champion would be a career changer for Gagnon. Not only would it etch his name as a serious contender by taking out one of the most dangerous fighters in the division, a win would also open doors to both bigger fights and paydays.

Gagnon knows what's at stake, but said he can't afford to obsess over the perks of beating Barao.

"I've been really focusing on the training camp and the game plan," Gagnon stated. "I'm not really focusing on the future all that much. I have a job to do and I'm concentrating on that. I don't want to look past anything. I really want to focus on one thing — and that's beating Renan Barao. I feel like everything will then open up afterwards.

"(A victory) would bring me to the upper echelon and get me those big fights. I'm fighting a former champion who's still ranked No. 1 in the world. I don't know where it puts me. I have no idea, but I'd definitely be up there. That's where I feel like I belong."

Though there's a lot riding on the bout for Gagnon, it's also pivotal for Barao, as it marks his first outing since dropping the bantamweight title against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 175 in May.

In many ways, Dillashaw laid out the blueprint for beating the Nova Uniao fighter.

A hard-hitting power striker, Barao has found success catching opponents who have stood directly in front of him. Using sharp angles and footwork, Dillashaw picked him apart en route to a late TKO victory.

Though the Team Alpha Male fighter exposed holes in Barao's game, Gagnon said his own style is too different from Dillashaw's to duplicate the same strategy.

An aggressive pressure fighter, Gagnon said he plans to break Barao both mentally and physically.

"That's not my style," Gagnon said of Dillashaw's performance. "Do I feel like getting on the line is where I'm going to catch Barao? Yeah, I think so. That's where Barao likes to stay. He's a very stationary fighter. He plants his feet and throws with 100 per cent power every time. Definitely, one of the things you've got to do with Barao is you always have to make him think, always make him react and make him move around.

"(I'm going to) put the pressure on him. Barao's good at dictating the pace and fighting his fight. If you put the pressure on him and make him exert more energy, that's when he gets in trouble and gets frustrated."

For Barao, there's more than a potential title shot on the line when he faces Gagnon. It's also an opportunity for him to earn a measure of redemption following an ill-fated weight-cut attempt ahead of UFC 177 in August.

The Brazilian was set to face Dillashaw in a rematch on the card, but was hospitalized after fainting and hitting his head on a bathtub. He was then pulled from the event and replaced by UFC newcomer Joe Soto, who went on to lose via fifth-round TKO in a gutsy performance.

As a result of the incident, Barao will no doubt look to take his frustrations out on Gagnon.

For some fighters, the prospect of stepping into the octagon with a fired-up Barao would be enough for them to reconsider their entire approach to training. But Gagnon is confident in both his methods and coaching staff.

The Canadian submission artist said he's sticking to the routine that has brought him success throughout his career.

"As far as a whole camp, I haven't really changed anything," Gagnon said. "Obviously I've had my coaches training me specifically for Barao. I feel like my team, we have a winning strategy at my camp. I don't want to start doing more or over-thinking things. I've been successful at what I've been doing. I'm going to keep doing it and improving as a mixed martial artist."

With his training tapering off, Gagnon said he is ready to make a statement against Barao.

"If you look at Barao's past 10 fights, you can see he tends to do (the same) stuff even as he progresses as a fighter," Gagnon said. "He sticks to stuff that he does and that's what I'm going to capitalize on. That's why I think I'm going to win the fight.

"I plan on stopping Barao and making it an interesting fight. I plan on shocking the world."