“I’m open to a fight with Topuria. I can fight him in welterweight without any problems. Why should I go down to lightweight? I had the belt in lightweight, no one beat me there—I just left the belt and moved up. A fight with Topuria for the lightweight belt doesn’t interest me. If he wants to move up—he's welcome. This fight is more needed for him. I was the champion in lightweight, and I definitely won't be going down.
He can move up. He doesn’t lose anything if he moves up. If he loses, he will return to his lightweight class and that’s it.”