Rhys McKee was adamant he'll resign with the UFC following this weekend's showdown against Jimmy Wallhead at Cage Warriors 153.
The Ballymena fighter won his past two fights to claim the Cage Warriors welterweight belt after a disappointing spell in the UFC.
McKee is fully focused on Wallhead, who is the interim champion, as he aims to unify the belts in the welterweight division.
The 27-year-old highlighted return to the UFC will only happen if he is victorious against Wallhead on Saturday.
READ MORE: Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett full of praise for Rhys McKee's fighting style
"It'll be the UFC next," McKee told the Irish Mirror. "I've a job to do on April 29th and I've not skipped a beat in preparation.
"Without April 29th, none of this future stuff will happen so we'll keep the task on that for now."
McKee was released by the UFC following defeats against top contender Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Morono in 2020.
However, the Cage Warriors champion is determined to prove his first outing in the UFC wasn't a true reflection of his ability.
"It was cool to experience but it's not how it should have been. I learned a lot from it," McKee added.
"I haven't went and chose a money route. I came back to Cage Warriors, climbed the division, won the belt and now I'm going to defend it.
"I'm going to go back (to the UFC) and prove the first time was wrong."
Rhys McKee was speaking ahead of Cage Warriors 153 which will see him top the bill in a Welterweight Title unification bout against Jimmy Wallhead. The majority Irish owned MMA promotion, which has sent over 100 fighters to the UFC, makes its return to Dublin on April 29th with a card stacked with Irish talent such as James Sheehan, Adam Darby, Ryan Shelley, Leon Hill and Taka Mhandu. Tickets are available now at cagewarriors.com.
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