“There were different plans for Khabib. His dad made sure that we didn't fight... They realized that i wasn't a punk and that i was going to win... A guy made a phone call and told them, 'we do not want to fight.' They didn't want that loss on his record because they needed him for some political reasons.”

– via Bloody Elbow, offering a conspiracy laden explanation for why his highly anticipated matchup with Khabib Nurmagomedov failed to materialize five separate times

“I am going to be real. There are only two people that I want to go and fight regardless of where it's going to be at. The interesting fights are either going to be Conor or Khabib. Regardless of what happens, it's going to sell tickets... you put me up against Khabib at the White House and I guarantee you are going to have fireworks. Khabib—Tony, round 6, make it happen”

– via an interview with Helen Yee, expressing his desire for a fight against either Conor McGregor or long—time rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, specifically calling for the latter at the proposed UFC White House event