“It’s been a year and a half. … I’m back stronger and better than ever. The hardest part to being out for so long is to be inactive, to be unable to do what you like to do for a living. This will be the biggest challenge of my whole career. I have to fight the toughest opponent I ever fought. I have to come back from a long layoff, a big inactive period of time.
“The most interesting thing Carlos has is his capacity for adaptation. He can adapt to any opponent he fights. That’s why he’s so good. He’s very skilled but he’s also very smarter.
“I’m not afraid of Carlos Condit. I hope Condit focuses on targeting my knee. It’s not a weak link anymore. There is nothing that I can’t do now that I was able to do before.
“I will leave with the belt. There is no doubt in my mind.”