This is the best fight they could give me right now. Everyone else in the top five would be a rematch. Ilia is a fresh opponent, and he’s coming in with a lot of hype, undefeated. That makes the preparation more exciting and interesting for me.” “The first time I was asked about Ilia, I was very respectful. I said, ‘Someone who talks the talk and walks the walk, he’ll have a lot of challenges at lightweight and he’ll be a tough fight.’ But has he shown me the same respect in the lead-up? Not really. Everyone knows who I am and what I’ve done. On June 28, everyone will see who the real champion is.”