HANFORD -- To Chris Botelho, mixed martial arts is more than just a sport.

"I've prepared myself mentally and physically the same way I did when I went to Iraq and Afghanistan," the Hanford fighter said of his upcoming welterweight bout with Bakersfield's Josh McCartney on Thursday at the Palace Fighting Championship at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino.

"It's time to go to war," added Botelho, a former U.S. Army Ranger. "This upcoming fight means a lot to me. It's a chance for redemption. This guy hit me low at least four times in our last fight and talked a bunch of trash behind my back to the media. So now it's time to teach this guy a lesson."

In January, Botelho and McCartney fought to a no contest, as the fight was stopped in the second round when Botelho was struck with what was ruled by referee Herb Dean to be an unintentional blow to the groin.

McCartney (1-1) also had a point taken away in the first round for a low blow.

But McCartney said after the fight, "I definitely didn't hit him in the groin in the second round. He gave me his best shot and I smiled at him and I feel like he just didn't want anymore. I'm very disappointed. I'd like to come back, though, and fight him again."

And he got his wish after San Luis Obispo's Jason Von Flue was not cleared by the California State Athletic Commission to fight Botelho.

"This fight just made sense," Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino entertainment director Christian Printup said of the Botelho-McCartney matchup. "It's not too often that when you lose a fighter to injury or whatever, that you replace that guy with a guy that probably makes for a more intense fight, but that's what we've done. These two guy's don't like each other... period. It's going to be a fight."

A win would be a giant step forward for Botelho (4-2). The fight is a Palace Fighting Championship welterweight title eliminator and the winner will fight for the title in January 2008.

"My goal is to be the best that I can be and go out every fight and leave it in the ring," Botelho said. "If a title comes along with that, then so be it."

McCartney still stands by his words back in January.

"Now we get to finish what we started," he said. "I think it was a bad call, especially being as the ref was behind me and couldn't see the strike."

That, coupled with some Internet comments of Central Valley MMA fans favoring McCartney over Botelho has the latter fired up.

"It doesn't motivate me, it really ticks me off, because most of the people saying he is going to win are the same people telling me that they will be rooting for me," Botelho said. "Nothing makes me more mad then fake people and liars.

"And all I have to say about McCartney is that he is a coward that doesn't have the guts to say what he has to say to my face."

The fight should be an exciting one in front of a sold-out crowd.

"My game plan is plain and simple, punish him not just what he did the last time, but for everything bad that has happened in my life," Botelho said. "I'm a new fighter now and very bitter. I hate everybody I fight now and blame them for all my misfortunes. So, McCartney will have to pay for them."

And McCartney is expecting the best from Botelho.

"I'm always up to a battle," he said. "I don't like boring fights."

Also featured are a pair of PFC title fights. Sacramento's Dave Espinosa (3-0) takes on Porterville's Shawn Klarzcyk (5-1) for the vacant bantamweight championship and Oroville's Shawn Bias (10-4) challenges Minnesota's Aaron Maldonado (4-0) for the vacant featherweight crown.

In other bouts:

* Fresno's Casey Olson (4-1) vs. Stockton's Brandon Jinnies (2-5), lightweights.

* Lemoore's Kenny Ento (6-2) vs. Palika Drummondo (2-3), middleweights.

* Calousa's Ruben Villareal (11-13-3) vs. Tulare's Rafael Del Real (4-5), heavyweights.

* Las Vegas' Dewey Cooper vs. Adam Smith of Venice Beach, light heavyweights.

* Las Vegas' Angelo Antuna (4-0) vs. Palmdale's Seth Dikun, featherweights.

* Lemoore's Mickey Marti-nez (2-0-1) vs. Bakersfield's Robert Breslin (3-6-1), welterweights.

* Sacramento's Mark Munoz (0-0) vs. Taft's Austin Achorn (0-0), heavyweights.

* Fresno's Ralph Lopez (2-0) vs. Sacramento's Marcus Blood (1-1), featherweights.

* Lemoore's Elvis Franco (0-0) vs. Anaheim's Scott Brom