As a World Champion, it is important that you face the #1 contender. That is what makes it sport and not entertainment; otherwise, what are the girls fighting at 145 lbs. training to work towards if they know they will never be given a title shot, even if they become the best in the world?
I'm fighting for the Commonwealth title on Saturday and I believe I'll be ready for a world title shot in the next 18 months.
When you become a world champion and you defend your title for five or six years, and you have fifteen defences of your title, and you round up most of the other belts - and you feel you're the best of your generation at the time - nobody can take that away from you.
It makes me very, very happy to get someone a world title shot, which I've done with a few fighters, or a European title shot or a British title, and I see them lift that belt above their waist and they come to me and say 'Thanks Ricky. I've just paid my mortgage off with that.' That's what its all about.
That's my aim. To fight for a world title and become a world champion.
Wrestling isn't real. The falls hurt, sometimes you get punches in the face, but it's not real. It's propaganda. Propaganda makes you the giant and me the small guy. Propaganda makes me the champion and makes you unworthy of a title shot.
My long-term goal is to become the UFC champion and to hold that 205-pound title. If you're not really in it to do that, why even bother with a sport like this?
Being the United States champion, it makes me elevate the title even more because, at the end of the day, that is what I wanna do. I wanna elevate the title, whether it be the world championship, the universal championship, any of these titles.
A player cannot become a world champion overnight. To become a champion, a player has to sacrifice a lot and to devote much of his time practising and training.
Having sport allowed me to forget about the ups and downs of my condition and think about a set goal, which was to become a Paralympic champion, to become a world champion.
Everything in the business is based around the idea of a World Championship. WWE, World Heavyweight Championship, Universal Title, the ROH Title, or the IWGP Title - they are all World Championships. The best of the best.
Being the undisputed world champion is a relief. We instituted a unified chess title, I am the absolute world champion.
I know people didn't think I'd become a world champion - even people probably in my own camp, my own team, didn't think I'd become a world champion this quickly.
I want to get one more world title. Three titles at three weight classes, and without a doubt 145 is my best option.
I've been asked many times, do you regret never having been the world champion, you know? I kind of laugh. I say well, you know, this business is a work. It's like, none of those guys are ever really the world wrestling champion. The titles are props in this business.
I'm going to give the people their money's worth...true sports entertainment for their dollar. I'm the undefeated IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion making my fifth title defense. The crowd will be with me because everybody wants to be with a winner.
I'm training to be the champion. I become the champion of whatever I put my mind to, so I believe I will be the champion. I think the UFC will be able to realize that, and we'll see what they say.