Courtney Buck wouldn’t trade his experience in the WEC for anything.

Just seven fights into his MMA career, Buck received a shot with the “big leagues.” Many said the Minnesota standout wasn’t ready for that kind of jump.

And when Buck lost his first two WEC fights and was cut by the organization, it gave the haters even more ammunition.

But Buck (6-3) has no regrets. He got his shot, he learned from it, and now he's doing everything he can to get back to the big leagues.

That includes accepting a major challenge in his first fight since his two WEC losses. Buck returns to action Friday in the main event of "Combat on Capitol Hill 2" at the St. Paul Armory. He'll take on Minnesota Martial Arts Academy-trained Brandon Bergeron in a showdown between two of the state's best 145-pounders.

Courtney, thanks for the time. I know you're running all over this week. But how are you feeling? Are you ready?

BUCK: Oh yeah. My weight's already where it needs to be. Now it's just a waiting game, waiting to get on that scale. This has been great, having this much time to prepare for the fight. It made the weight cut a lot easier. I had like three days last time. It's made a huge difference as far as me not having to rush things, stress out and just pray to God I make weight. It feels pretty good to actually have time to prepare.

Where are you training now?

BUCK: I am mainly with one guy, and that's Mike (Phong Xay). He's been my coach from Day 1.

It's just me and him. He's got me ready. He's got my stamina where it needs to be, my cardio's ready, everything's ready. He's been my trainer since the start, ever since I stepped in the cage for the first time. Mike wasn't able to corner me for my fight in Columbus, so this feels like a reunion fight. With him in my corner, I feel like there's nothing I can't do.

Coming off of two straight losses, how important is it for you to get this victory?

BUCK: It's do or die, man. I lost two in a row, and they were both to tough guys, but they were both winnable fights. I just wasn't patient enough. Yeah, they were tough fights, but you can only say that for so long. Moral victories aren't what makes money in this industry. So this fight is very important.

So if getting a win is so important, why take on a super tough guy like Bergeron in your first fight back? Why not take an easy fight to get back to winning?

BUCK: What would that prove? That wouldn't prove I can move up the ranks, it wouldn't prove that I belong on the national stage. Beating up a bum, that proves nothing. I'm a fan of the sport, and I've seen that too many times. Some guy who's undefeated fights a guy who's 0-15. A cake fight doesn't do anything for the fans or for my career. I'm trying to get back to the WEC, and beating some guy with a below .500 record won't help me do that. I've seen Brandon fight before, and we've fought on the same cards before. He's a tough dude. He's a jiu-jitsu guy. He's exactly what I need to face. I have to go in there against the toughest guys in the division.

What did you take away from your WEC experience?

BUCK: Really, I just learned I need to be more patient in the cage. Look at my first fight, and I had the reach advantage, but I was lunging for my shots and rushing things. And I just gassed. Either way, I needed to take a step back, set up my punches, set up my kicks and take my time. In the second fight, I had the reach again, but I probably would have done some things differently on the ground. But again it comes back to being patient. That's the biggest thing I've learned. Patience in MMA is so huge. There are so many things you can get caught up in, but you just have to take it slow. I think the other thing I took out of it is that I was able to see these guys who are in the bigs, and I see that I belong. Never did I feel like I didn't belong. I saw how they trained, and I realized my training is on par with theirs. I know there are things I need to improve on, but I'm right there with those guys. Being in the WEC also allowed me to network. I mean, I got to beat Jens Pulver. Hell, I can't regret an experience like that.

You talked about patience. How important is patience with a guy like Bergeron, who is very capable of submitting you if you rush anything?

BUCK: I look at Brandon's last fight with (Mike) Plazola, and Plazola had ample opportunity to ground-and-pound. But he kept jumping in and out of Brandon's guard, and he wasn't securing Brandon's arms at all. Right when Brandon pushed Plazola's right arm down, I knew it was over. To me, Brandon is one of the best jiu-jitsu guys around at this weight in Minnesota. There's not too many guys above him right now. He trains with a great camp at Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. I mean, look at the guys who they produce. I know he's good. But I think if Plazola had been more patient, he was winning the standup game, and he could have won that fight. I think we get caught up as fighters; we get a little too prideful when we're in the cage. I'm not trying to bag on Plazola at all. I'm just learning from the things he did. I think if I'm patient, take a step back when I need to, I'll be in a good spot.

Plazola dropped Bergeron, but he followed him to the ground. If you are able to drop him, do you see yourself making Bergeron stand back up?

BUCK: When Plazola dropped him, Brandon wasn't out; he was just a little buzzed. Now, I'm not afraid to go to the ground with him. I've been working on my ground game heavily, so I'm not afraid to mix it up. Of course, I'm not going to try to take him down and go for submissions. But I'm prepared to hit the ground if I have to. It comes back to patience. If I go to the ground, I'm going to take the time to set things up, to keep my balance.

After getting to the WEC, does that simply make you that much hungrier to get back to the big show?

BUCK: I look at it like this. It was like giving a kid a little piece of candy when he's like 1. You take it, and you get that taste, and your mind just goes crazy. Yeah, it's just extra motivation for me. I know my talent level isn't far off from those guys. I feel like I belong. But I've only been fighting for a year and a half. I had a little taste, now I want to go back and have the full meal.

Combat on Capitol Hill 2 features a loaded card. Are you honored to be competing in the main event of a fantastic fight card?

BUCK: It's a great card. Gosh, I'm actually quite humbled. I didn't think people would have reacted this way. I figured my stock would take a hit when I lost two in a row. I wasn't sure where I would land. I was hoping to secure a decent fight, but I didn't know what would happen. I'm humbled man. It makes you feel fuzzy inside. Like I told you before, it's a heartbreaking game, but I'm willing to take that. On the other side, a lot of people embrace you for this, and that's pretty cool.

You said you're an MMA fan. What fight on this card do you want to see?

BUCK: Richman, man. I really want to see him fight. Plus there are a couple of guys making their debuts, and they're close to me in weight. I want to watch them, see what they're doing. I've got to make sure I'm ready for them when they come calling Courtney Buck's name, wanting to fight me. But yeah, I want to see Richman because he's improved a lot. We started fighting around the same time, but he's been just running through guys. I'm really interested to see him get down. I like his hands.

Is there anybody's name you want to call?

BUCK: After we get Brandon squared away, and I'll try to come out of that successful, then I'll set my eyes on somebody. But let this be known — Courtney Buck doesn't duck. My number is out there. It's on Facebook. As long as the money is right, we can dance.

Your shoulder was a little dinged up. Are you healthy now?

BUCK: Yeah, it was an injury from training, doing the Perfect Pullup. I think it was me trying to compensate for losing, over-training, thinking that was the answer. But I feel good. I've been cleared by everybody. It's been nice because I've had time to heal, and I've had time to prepare, so I'm ready to go. I gotta thank Vivid MMA for giving me time like this, letting me see the guy I was going to fight. Honestly, they've treated me better than I was treated when I went to the bigs.

Is there anybody you'd like to thank?

BUCK: Everybody who's ever supported me. My trainer Mike. He never stopped believing in me. I gotta thank my wife for putting up with me while I'm cutting weight. Really, I just want to thank all the fans, everyone at Vivid MMA. They gave me the opportunity to headline this thing, and that's pretty cool. And I want to thank you too, man. You've always showed love. Everybody man, everybody who's been there.