The UFC want me as their champion. The welterweight division needs me as its champion. It's been static for too long. I'll win the title, defend it a couple of times, and then move up to middleweight.
I have the highest takedown defense in the entire welterweight division, maybe the second-highest on the UFC roster.
When I entered the UFC, there was only the bantamweight division. I had some good fights there, and then I decided to go to the strawweight division, where I became a champion.
When I couldn't sign with the UFC, I think my goal of being Number 1 in the world went out the window. There's just no way of doing that at Welterweight without being in the UFC. I could go 50-0, and as long as it's outside the UFC, I'm not going to be Number 1.
I still have to unify my division and basically become the undefeated welterweight champion of the world. I can't lose. It is more added pressure, but it does make me work harder and keeps me more focused.
When I say I'm a true welterweight I'm talking about every fighter that has ever moved into the welterweight division.
If I'm the champion, the whole UFC division should be ashamed of themselves for a guy that had no damn skills being the champion. They should all just go relocate somewhere.
When I got into the sport and wrote down my goals, it was never to be a UFC main event or to be a on a UFC main card. It was to be the UFC champion.
I didn't know that I would be the UFC champion. Did I intend on being the UFC champ? Yeah, absolutely. I didn't exactly see myself doing this as a full time job or career but I certainly intended for it when I started down this path.
I'm very comfortable in Bellator. It would be interesting to have superfight between a Bellator champion and an UFC champion. I wouldn't have to necessarily migrate to the UFC. We could just have one duel. When it comes to the best fighters in the UFC, I think I'm better than all of them.
Anybody in that welterweight division that think they want this, you know you don't, because I'm a problem. I'm a problem in this division.
I want to become undisputed UFC welterweight champion. I've been so close a couple of times, but I don't want to leave the sport always a bridesmaid and never a bride. I want to get that belt around my waist.
I know I can be the welterweight champion.
Before I got in the UFC, I wrote down on a piece of paper a goal that I was going to make it to the UFC in 2015 and then I'll be the world champion before 2017 so I'm right on track. I pull out that piece of paper all the time and look at it. It's motivation.
The welterweight division has really emerged as one of our most exciting weight classes.
100 Muay Thai, boxing, and kickboxing fights. Six times world Muay Thai champion, five times European Muay Thai champion, very dominant UFC champion for three years. I know my legacy. They can say whatever they want to, but I'm huge.