Justin Willis knows he's different. It's a fact he's learned to embrace and to cherish. 

Growing up in Palo Alto, California—the "murder capital of the world at the time," Willis says—gunshots and rumbling bellies defined everyday life. 

Now, however, the 8-1 UFC heavyweight strolls into his matchup vs. Chase Sherman this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 128 in Atlantic City oozing confidence, a swagger born from struggle. 

Only that term—confidence—doesn't quite encompass Willis' headspace. The UFC title is his destiny. Thirty years on this earth led Willis here, and now is his time to fulfill everything before him. 

"God made me for this," Willis told FloCombat. "That whole 'nature vs. nurture'—I was bred for this... I think it’s time to let the world know what I do." 

Training out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose alongside some of the sport's best and brightest stars, Willis annihilated the regional scene before making his UFC debut in July 2017. He posted a unanimous decision victory in that contest before turning around and knocking out Allen Crowder in his sophomore appearance at UFC 218.

Willis fought back tears as Bruce Buffer read the official decision. Then, he took the mic from Joe Rogan and unleashed. 

"If y'all know my fu*kin' upbringing, man, this is a fu*kin' blessing," he said. "I'm so happy that God put me in this position, and I'm about to take the fu*kin' UFC over. Mark my motherfu*kin' words." 

It wasn't cockiness. Willis wasn't putting on a show for the sake of pageantry. Rather, that post-fight speech represented the culmination of years of adversity conquered, a moment Willis could finally say "I'm here" and boast the highlight reel to prove it. 

Tracing back to his youth, it's easy to justify Willis' emotion. At 7 years old, he was placed in foster care, where he bounced between group homes, juvenile halls, homeless shelters, and more—23 in total, by his count—before finally getting adopted at 15. 

"I didn’t get adopted until people started realizing I had athletic ability, an athletic ability that was unparalleled," Willis said.

That ability—which eventually led him to play Division I football at San Jose State University, where he earned all-conference honors as a defensive tackle—was put to the test early and often in those group settings. Social hierarchies meant little, and one's worth was instead determined via physical means. If you wanted to prove yourself, you had to fight and the young Willis got his fill in that regard.

"I had to learn how to conquer at a very young age because if not, I would get taken advantage of," Willis said. "And I can sit here and tell you right now: I have never been taken advantage of." 

It wasn't for a lack of trying, though. Willis' athletic gifts were obvious from an early age, and that put him in situations no child envies. 

"I remember fighting in pits as a little boy, where counselors would match up me versus somebody else," Willis said. "That’s just how it was. And it was for money at a very young age." 

While that situation is extreme enough, Willis recalls a separate incident that fundamentally shifted his perception and his motivations moving forward. Living in a group home which later got closed down, an 11-year-old Willis and his roommate heard noises in the night. 

They loaded up their socks with bars of soap and set out to investigate. 

"We went in the room and we heard these voices and we saw something we shouldn’t have seen," Willis said. "So we started to beat his ass with the damn soap and the socks. From that day on, that’s when I started to get this fear that I have now of helping others. That’s where that started. 

"So now, I realize, I understand—I can reach back to roots. In order to know who we are, we have to know who we were, man. I figured out who I was." 

Now, Willis feels ready to advance to the next stage of his journey. The struggles are his past. They shaped him and built him, but they no longer define where he's going. Coming from a neighborhood where there are "not many legacies available," Willis is ready to stand out and work his way toward the UFC title. 

Given his background, it'd make quite the story—a fact not lost on Willis himself. 

"I am a unicorn," Willis said. "The UFC has never seen anything like me. And if you asked about me, I’ve been this way since I was a little boy. This is no front, this is no nothin’... It’s time to go build my legacy. 

"It’s time, man." 

And that legacy is already defined in his eyes. Willis knows exactly what he wants to leave behind when he exits the sport of MMA, and, like everything else in Willis' life today, it's loaded with ambition and excellence. 

"[I will be known as] the greatest heavyweight of all time. The best," Willis said. "The person who actually wasn’t a dumb jock. The person who outwitted the witty. The person who outsmarted the smartest ones. And the person who outfought the best fighters."