“Obviously, Ilia and I may not like each other, but I wish him all the best in all these family matters. It has nothing to do with the fights, so when I win this belt — I will become the champion. I don't care about the 'interim' prefix — I am the champion. Ilia is out of the cage, and I am the damn champion.
I'm not going to do what Justin did and throw the belt on the floor saying, 'I'll wait for the real one.' This belt is real as long as Ilia is out of the cage. It's a real championship belt, and I'll take it home with me. It will leave for Liverpool — it's that simple.”