I want the best money, and obviously the highest ceiling that you can be the best is in the UFC. But yeah, I praise Bellator. They gave me a great offer.
What brought me to Bellator was Scott Coker, Viacom, and one of my good friends, Mike Kogan.
Shlemenko wants to make his name off of Tito Ortiz. He's not the first person ever to do this. People have been trying to use my name ever since I was the champ.
I'm a fan of Fedor, have been a fan since he was in PRIDE, a great champion, and since I like to challenge myself, new challenges, that was one of the offers that came with my move to Bellator. Of course fighting Fedor would be an honor, a dream.
Bellator offered me a job. UFC never offered me an opportunity to fight. There's no question that UFC is the top. It's a machine. A lot of people, including myself, have helped build the UFC to where it is today.
I do have some unfinished business with Josh Thomson. I think that's a fight fans want to see, it's a fight Bellator wants, it's a fight I want.
You know what, the thing about Bellator was, I beat everyone they had.
In the UFC, at first we were like a family, but then it turned corporate. In Bellator, we're family.
UFC is UFC, and God bless them, they have the largest roster and some amazing fighters, but there's amazing fighters everywhere. That's why I am impressed with what Bellator has attempted to do with the tournament or with Aaron Pico and some of the younger talent.
When I signed with Bellator, I knew this would be a new positive chapter in my career.
I would want to fight in the UFC or Bellator. Why CM Punk? Anyone, just a worthy adversary. It can't be a world-class fighter.
I'm excited to see Jake Hager debut for Bellator in 2018. When I heard he was seriously interested in competing in MMA, and when you look at what he did at the collegiate level, I was very interested in having him on our roster.
My return was interesting because Bellator gave me a stage that was worthy of the return of Wanderlei Silva. I was the main event, sold out.
