Alexander Volkanovski says he needs to finish bitter rival Max Holloway to cement his legacy as the greatest featherweight of all time.
Volkanovski, 33, is currently putting the finishing touches to his training camp ahead of his trilogy fight with Holloway, 30, whom he will face on July 2.
The pair will meet again for the third and possibly final time next month in the co-main event of UFC 276 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Despite currently boasting two wins over his rival, there are still some fans who argue that Holloway won one if not both of their previous two fights.
But the UFC featherweight champion knows a resounding victory over his predecessor will solidify his claim to be one of history's finest MMA fighters.
“I’m gonna go out there and I plan on putting a beating on him this time,” he told a press conference.
“I plan on putting a beating on him this time. I really do want to set a statement, obviously get a finish or really get that dominant win will definitely help that legacy that I want as well. That’s something I felt like I’ve always talked about, that I want to prove to people. The opportunity’s here and I’m gonna take it.”
Volkanovski started training in mixed martial arts around May 2012 and became a UFC fighter by November 2016.
Alexander Volkanovski is gunning for a finish against Max Holloway
However, there are still some who question his credentials as a champion.
But Volkanovski insists he doesn't care one bit about that anymore.
He added: “I don’t care. I don’t care about that now. That’s not why I took this fight.
"It wasn’t just to shut them guys up. I did originally want this trilogy to shut people up, but right now, it’s not about that. This fight is gonna be a legacy fight for me, and there’s gonna be haters no matter what you do.
"Even after this one, if I go out there and do what I plan on doing, there are still gonna be haters. There are still gonna be people saying stuff. We can’t worry about that.
"I have used it all as fuel to get me where I am, but right now it’s about me and putting myself in a good position after this one.
“I plan on going out there and really putting work on him. Again, he’s a great fighter. I’ll give him a lot of credit, he’s that number one contender, he’s done great things in this division – the reason he’s even getting a trilogy.
"I think really taking him out again will really put my name out there and raise that bar a lot more for me, put me in a lot better position. So, that’s why I’m taking this fight, not to shut people up. It will taste good to shut people up at the same time, but that’s not my main drive right now.
"But we’re here. We’re going to silence them. But if they want to keep yapping, let ’em."