“Hopefully it’s in the summer or at the end of this year, I’ll fight for the belt, for the title. I can’t wait, and that’s why I’m doing wrestling and grappling things... If [Ilia] is not going to fight in the summer, then I’m next for the belt.”

– via Helen Yee (January 9, 2026), discussing his roadmap for the year while navigating the fallout of his interim title snub.

“The odds are higher than they ever have been... Conversations are being had, things are moving in that direction. I'm gonna start training here very soon, laser focused on June”

– via ESPN MMA expressing massive confidence that the long—awaited showdown with Conor McGregor is finally landing in the summer.

“I’ve fighting in enemy territory, I need to finish this fight. Submission or knockout…this is my goal, my goal is to finish him.”

– via Fox Sports gives warning to Champion Volkanovski

“I want him to. I think he has got the juice in him. He would love the White House. He wants to be main event at the White House and he wants me to be a couple of slots behind him and kind of have us both win and that’s his last leg”

– via JRE MMA Show #172 (January 1, 2026), detailing the "perfect world" retirement plan shared between him and his training partner, Jon Jones.

“Ateba Gautier, this guy is from Cameroon. Oh, he’s f***ing terrifying. He's 185 pounds, 6'4,' built like a Greek God, smokes everybody. Everybody just gets smoked. Terrifying power, super speed, excellent technique, everything. He's good, man. He's good. Super f***ing strong, too. Very big for the weight class and awesome striking... That guy's the future. He's the future”

– via The Joe Rogan Experience with Shane Gillis discussing the meteoric rise of UFC middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier.

“I think he probably will if he is going to be returning to fight Michael Chandler. It’s got a long buildup, it’s a good match up to get him back in. From what I understand, Conor has hit like a new spot in his life where he is inspired, he is saved, excited about doing good and seemed like he needed to make a change.”

– via The Schmo, discussing the potential return of Conor McGregor for the historic UFC White House event.

“Whoever wins that fight between Islam vs. Kamaru can get out of here, because if Usman wins, he’s one and done, because he said he’s moving to get that title against Khamzat for the rematch. If Islam wins, he said he’s gonna hold it down for a long time, but i don’t believe that. If Islam gets the fight that he wants, that means not only did you submit your name at lightweight over your brother Khabib, but then you also got the double champ status, and then you also beat a GOAT in Usman. So you just pulled the Jon Jones. What else is there to do? What else can he do? You’d be foolish to keep fighting, because to me, Islam is not a natural 170 [pound] fighter, and that will get exposed if he fights a person like myself, Ian Garry, or Michael Morales.”

– via Submission Radio, arguing that Islam Makhachev should retire if he defeats Kamaru Usman, as he would have achieved "double champ" status and beaten a legend.

“A while ago, me and moicano were having a back and forth. I was saying me and him should do the ultimate fighter... but it just never ended up happening. I'd do one with Ilia, but they'd have to have security there 24/7.”

– via his YouTube channel, expressing willingness to coach on "The Ultimate Fighter" opposite Ilia Topuria

“With all due respect, i sell much more than the two who are going to fight for the [interim] title. I'm going to put on a great fight and i'm going to win this fight. And if it's a great fight and i win, i think i'll burst the bubble and i'll be next in line for the title again”

– via AS Fight, stating his belief that if he puts on a great performance and beats Max Holloway at UFC 326, he will "burst the bubble" and bypass the interim title contenders to become the next challenger for the lightweight title.

“Is the white house ready for derrick lewis? President trump loves derrick lewis and he hasn't told me to do anything… but he will not stop talking about derrick lewis so it's a big fight for derrick coming up”

– speaking to reporters after UFC 323, strongly hinting that Derrick Lewis, who he calls President Trump's "favorite fighter," is a likely addition to the UFC White House card.

“Young, experienced, explosive, a very dangerous fight. I do believe i'll put his lights out. This is what I need; it's been too long. I need to get back into the win column.”

– via UFC presser, predicting a finish over Song Yadong and emphasizing his need to end his current losing streak.

“It would have to be a very good offer for me to start cutting back to 155 [pounds], because I'm not young in this sport anymore, and every weight cut takes years off your health. It's not as easy as before to cut weight”

– about potential fight against Ilia Topuria at Lightweight division

“You are going to have to stuff his takedowns and make him work like Volkanovski did in that first fight. Stuff the takedowns and brawl with him. I think Topuria is the perfect fight for him. I think that fight needs to happen. Topuria has a low center of gravity, so he's going to be very hard to take down. When [Makhachev] is not taking him down, [Topuria] is going to be punching him with all he's got. So, I'm hoping that the UFC makes that fight next”

– via The Schmo, picking Ilia Topuria as the toughest stylistic matchup for Islam Makhachev at welterweight.

“I don't want to wait. If I perform very well and the UFC says 'Can you fight in January?', I'll take that fight right away”

– via MMA Fighting, expressing his willingness to fight Ilia Topuria for the belt in January 2026 if he defeats Dan Hooker.

“I promise, I am going to fight Makhachev at welterweight and I am going to beat him”

– pledging to move up and defeat Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title.

“It will be a lot closer of a fight than Islam vs Jack was. Islam vs Ilia would be the biggest, most skillful fight of all time. They're both 10/10 in MMA”

– via his YouTube Channel, analyzing a potential superfight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.

“It will be a lot closer of a fight than Islam vs Jack was. Islam vs Ilia would be the biggest, most skillful fight of all time. They're both 10/10 in MMA”

– via his YouTube Channel, analyzing a potential superfight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.

“You know what, I wrote that I think Islam is destined for this. He should fight Ilia Topuria at the White House. If he beats Topuria, he retires.Islam has plenty of money, right? Go out on your shield like Khabib did. A lot of people in MMA don't want to see that, but in mixed martial arts, we athletes stay too long at the party. There's no reason for an athlete to keep taking hits to the head and all that stuff. If I was him, fight Topuria at the White House. You beat Topuria, walk away”

– laying out an ideal retirement plan for Islam Makhachev: a superfight with Ilia Topuria, followed by walking away from the sport via his Youtube Channel

“No, this guy is never coming back. Khabib broke his mind, you know. This guy is never coming back; he is not going to fight anymore. I told this two years ago, and I still think he is not going to fight And now he has a disqualification from the antidoping commission. That's why I think, mo. Maybe Jon Jones will come back to fight at the White House, but not Conor”

– via Complex News Podcast when asked about Conor McGregor's return.

“This will knock Ilia [Topuria] off the number one spot if he beats Jack”

– stating that Islam Makhachev's win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 will make him the new #1 Pound for Pound fighter, supplanting Ilia Topuria