"I fought with Manel Capet on the last fight of the contract and everything depended on the result. The UFC needs spectacular fighters, mostly strikers with early wins. I had 7 fights in 2 years, constantly raced the weight in the lightest and each time I got more tired. I had 4 fights with opponents from the TOP 15, and the more I fought, the less spectacular it was. I was just exhausted. I had one goal in mind–the title. I thought winning by decision would be fine too. But if I had knocked out Kape, I would have been given a new contract.

The fight at the hotel with Cape played a role, but was not the main reason. It's because of the style of my last fights. At the age of 23, I had a 7-0 record in the UFC, and I think that should be appreciated. Sometimes fights are "dirty" – it all depends on the opponent. But I felt like I was getting fired."