“I don’t want him stripped. I am on Ilia’s side of it. I don’t really like what he is going through... I also think he is innocent. He seems like a good guy. I don’t think he would have done these things, however, they gotta strip him. If he is not making the claim that he is injured and has some kind of a doctor’s report to back it up... he’s gotta be stripped”

– via podcast clarifying that while he personally supports Ilia Topuria and believes in his innocence regarding current allegations, the standard rules for championship activity necessitate stripping him if no medical excuse is provided.

“That was the first person who suggested to me that Ilia should be stripped. I was a little surprised… their argument was that the interim belt is for those that are dealing with an illness or injury... The moment Ilia informs us that he is missing matches for anything outside of the criteria of illness or injury, that’s why you strip him”

– via Ariel Helwani’s podcast, discussing a conversation he had with a UFC contact regarding Ilia Topuria