Israel Adesanya claimed he didn't need the belt to motivate him or make him great ahead of his showdown with Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305.
Yet despite the denial, reclaiming the middleweight belt - that he lost to Sean Strickland last year in one of the sport's biggest upsets - was still undoubtedly his aim as he tried to bring a definitive end to the bad blood between the pair which had been bubbling away all week in Perth.
"I didn't manifest that far ahead," the former champion told Daniel Cormier in the octagon after he was submitted in the fourth round by the South African.
After clearing through the division years earlier during a legacy-defining reign as champion, Adesanya has now tasted defeat in back-to-back bouts.
"I still feel like I made history," Adesanya said. "I've never lost two in a row."
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Will Israel Adesanya retire after being submitted by Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305?
"Tonight, Africa would have won regardless but tonight, South Africa was the victor," du Plessis said after retaining his belt via a rear naked choke.
"It was an honour for me to share the cage with a legend like that. I have the utmost respect for him, warrior to warrior.
"And if he does retire...I do not want to be kicked by that man again."
Adesanya returned from the longest layoff of his career to try and reclaim his throne, but fell short against a determined du Plessis.
The Nigerian-born Kiwi took his gloves off inside the cage after the loss leading some to speculate on whether the was set to announce his retirement.
"I know all your motherf---ers want to see me lose, want to see me down but watch this, I’m not f---ing leaving!" Adesanya exclaimed on the microphone to rapturous applause from a sold-out 14,152 fans at RAC Arena.
And Adesanya reiterated this stance post-fight when addressing the media.
"People read too much into s--t - I only took my gloves off because they were tight," he said.
"I told you, I'm not f---ing leaving until I want to leave."
What's next for Israel Adesanya?
When posed with a potential return to light heavyweight, Adesanya was adamant he would be sticking around in the middleweight division.
"I like this frame too much," he smiled.
"I'm not losing this body. I'm not losing these gains.
"I'm going to eat some barbecue, drink some piss and get back into training."
Yet while Adesanya was adamant that his time in the UFC wasn't over after suffering another setback, he did admit that he was entering into the final stretch of his illustrious career.
"Enjoy me while I'm here because you're going to miss me when I'm gone," Adesanya stated.
"It's still destiny. It's not what I had planned but I believe in the strangest things - everything happens for a reason.
"It's not about the belt and all those things. It's about doing what I want to do to close this show. And I've still got a way to go."