It's remembered as one of the most infamous moments of UFC's primitive era. 

As cameras panned away from the Octagon during the introductions to a heavyweight bout between Mark Kerr and Greg Stott at UFC 15 in 1997, a fan -- known simply as the "Just Bleed Guy" -- maniacally flexed for the camera as drool shot out of his mouth. 

The venue was a makeshift arena (otherwise known as an outdoor tent) on the grounds of Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. And the shirtless fan, wearing the words "Just Bleed" written across his chest, perfectly summed up the type of entertainment fans hoped for during the infancy of mixed martial arts. 

Nearly 20 years later to the month, one would imagine "Just Bleed Guy" would be pleased with the type of violent drama expected to take place in Saturday's lightweight duel at UFC 218 in Detroit between Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje.

In a duel between two legitimate action stars, the comments from both over the past week has done nothing but raise the anticipation. If every once in a while there appears a no doubt fight of the year contender on the horizon that's incapable of under delivering, this fight appears to be one of those. 

Alvarez (28-5), who lost his UFC 155-pound title to Conor McGregor last November, didn't want to talk about what a victory on Saturday might do for his hopes of securing a shot at regaining his lightweight crown. Instead, Alvarez is focused on winning a different championship. 

"I only deal with things I can control and right now there's a whole other title on the line and that's the 'UFC most violent man,'" Alvarez told MMAfighting.com on Monday. "And that title is on the line on Dec. 2.

"I will say this, it's going to be f------ nuts because I spent a great deal of this training camp working on not giving a f--- myself and I'm getting better and better the less I care."

While Alvarez's strategy may not prove to be the best idea for his chances of winning, it's certainly great news for fans hoping for carnage. The reason is because even though the former Bellator champion has no shortage of experience surviving wars, he has been at his best during his transition to the UFC when controlling that impulse and carrying out a game plan. 

Alvarez, 34, admitted he forgot his game plan in losing his belt to McGregor and was sucked into a war to prove who is the better man. In that regard, he came up empty against McGregor's skill and precision. The fear against Gaethje is whether Alvarez's chin will come up empty in the face of such a large and raging slugger. 

Gaethje (18-0), who made eight exciting defenses of his World Series of Fighting title, put forth a spectacular effort in his UFC debut in July. Battling back twice from the brink of defeat, Gaethje savagely rallied to stop Michael Johnson in two of the craziest rounds UFC has produced in years. 

The performance earned Gaethje comparisons to boxing Hall of Famer Arturo Gatti and an instant opportunity to coach against Alvarez on UFC's "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series.

When told of Alvarez's intentions that Saturday's bout would be contended for "the violent championship of the world," Gaethje took on a serious tone.  

"It's all fun and games for him. I'm ready to f------ take his life so he better get his mind right," Gaethje told MMAFighting.com at Thursday's UFC 218 media day. "He signed on the dotted line and said he's going to try to take mine, so why not return the favor? 

"I'm 18-0 with 15 knockouts. Has anyone in the history of MMA fighting had 15 knockouts in their first 18 fights? So I think I own that title already."

Gaethje, 29, recently talked about his career goals on MMAjunkie Radio, saying he hopes to end his carer as "the most violent and entertaining m-----f----- in this sport." He has done his best to live up to those goals in recent years by going the distance just once since 2012 (a split-decision win over iron-chinned Melvin Guillard). 

"[Alvarez] said he's going to drop me and submit me. That's not what the most violent man in the UFC does," Gaethje told MMAfighting.com. "What I'm going to do is drop him and then stand him back up, just like I did against Michael Johnson. That's what the most violent guy in the UFC or MMA does." 

The buzz surrounding this fight has continued to grow in recent weeks with fans and experts alike expecting fireworks. Gaethje is more than willing to accept the pressure that comes with that. 

"I love what I do. I don't have kids for a reason right now because my mindset is different," Gaethje said. "My mindset is kill or be killed. I'm ready and willing to do what I have to do and give what I have to give in order to prove a stupid point that I'm the most violent person or the best fighter in the world, which means nothing in the grand scheme of things. But that's what I signed up for when I was four years' old and started wrestling so I might as well be invested fully."

Alvarez could only agree.

"Justin knows the dangers involved, I know the dangers involved and I think the fans know the damage we could inflict upon each other," Alvarez said. "What I do inside the cage and what he does inside the cage sells itself. I've been fighting for 15 years plus, it's hard to get emotional about a fistfight so I'm excited for someone to bring that out of me."

Buckle up.