"About f**king time."
If 19 straight wins, three of them over the greatest of all time at featherweight, didn't earn Alex Volkanovski the respect of fans, maybe one win more will.
Australia's only current UFC champion retained his belt and recorded a second title defence with a unanimous decision, fight of the night win over Brian Ortega at UFC 266 in Las Vegas.
Looking at the scorecards - 50-45, 50-44, 49-46 - you'd be forgiven for thinking Volkanovski had it all his own way, but the Illawarra product had to overcome moments of incredible adversity.
After controlling the fight on the feet up to that point, Volkanovski was dropped with a left hand halfway through the third frame, kicking off a round and a half of mayhem.
BJJ blackbelt Ortega three times looked like he might stop the fight, via two guillotines and a triangle choke.
Each time, Volkanovski managed to escape before ending up on top and chasing a finish of his own with some brutal ground and pound.
After the fight, Daniel Cormier asked where Volkanovski's superhuman ability to push the pace comes from.
"The preparation, I told ya. I'm a normal human being, I've said it time and again, it's just hard work which got me to where I am," Volkanovski said.
"Anyone can do what I've done, anyone."
Volkanovski first claimed the belt in a close, but convincing win over popular champ Max Holloway.
He again faced the Hawaiian in his first defence, this time edging a razor-thin decision which many fans still believe went the wrong way.
Despite beating Holloway twice, as well as Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes, Volkanovski hasn't got the accolades he feels he deserves and he called it out post-fight.
"All them doubters, I'm gonna keep proving you wrong time and time again. Bring it," he said.
"About f**king time [I got some respect], 100 per cent. Keep doubting me, I love it. I don't care I'll be the underdog till the day I die, it's just gonna make me work harder."
Perhaps in an effort to increase his profile, Volkanovski took a different approach in the lead up to the Ortega fight, prodding his opponent with barbs about his professionalism and doping history.
With the win secured, Volkanovski suggested the trash talk didn't sit well with him.
"When he got some of the submissions, some of them were pretty tight. For some reason I stayed on the ground with him," he added.
"He's good. Obviously I'm going to talk and say 'he's not on my level.'
"I was trying to get in his head as much as I could. I thought I was in his head and then he came back even stronger so credit to him.
"I felt like a bit of an idiot saying some of the things I did because he proved himself."
Despite the animosity in the build up, Ortega didn't hold it against him
"I thought he was done. That's exactly what we trained for my whole camp," Ortega said.
"I was trying to cover his head but that little bastard is f**kin tough as hell.
"I grabbed onto that neck, I tried to squeeze it, trust me guys I tried to finish him, I heard him gargling and he f**kin slipped out.
"He's a champ for a reason, nothing but love to him, nothing but respect."
If that performance doesn't earn Volkanovski the respect of the MMA masses as well, nothing will.