MONTREAL – Renan Barao said he feels disrespected by talk of a potential bout between UFC champions T.J. Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson.

Barao (33-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) will challenge for Dillashaw’s (11-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 186 on April 25. Barao may be on deck, but that hasn’t deterred speculation about is a champion-vs. champion affair between Dillashaw and Johnson in the future.

The fight will never happen if Barao has any influence in the matter, he said. Johnson is a longtime champion who has nearly wiped out his division, so there’s considerable logic in seeking big-fight possibilities outside the flyweight class. Dillashaw, though, has held the belt for less than year and with just one title defense.

Barao is admittedly agitated by the situation, because at this point, he doesn’t think Dillashaw has earned the right to speculate on any matchups besides the one directly in front of him.

“It’s a lot of nonsense,” Barao told MMAjunkie. “He’s boasting a lot about himself and this is not going to be good for him in the fight. He’s way too cocky. He just got the belt. He thinks he’s already defended the belt against me and he’s speaking about fighting other people. He’ll see what happens. Just wait.”

For much of the past several years, the discussion regarding Barao centered on where he fit into the world’s pound-for-pound rankings.

That discussion has now subsided, and in its place is a debate of whether Barao has the ability to win back the UFC bantamweight championship from Dillashaw when the two rematch at UFC 186.

UFC 186 takes place at Montreal’s Bell Centre and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Barao held the 135-pound title for nearly two years during his insane 33-fight unbeaten streak. He received high praise from UFC President Dana White for his success, but right as that praise hit a peak, Barao suffered a dominant knockout loss to Dillashaw and dropped the title at UFC 173 in May 2014.

The outcome marked Barao’s first defeat since his pro debut in April 2005. He was granted an immediate rematch at UFC 177 in August 2014, but the fight fell apart at the 11th hour when a weight-cutting incident forced Barao out of the event on weigh-in day and Joe Soto replaced him.

Barao rebounded with a submission of Mitch Gagnon in December to earn his rematch with Dillashaw. It wasn’t Barao’s sharpest performance – Dillashaw went as far as to call it “unimpressive” – but the former champ said he was satisfied with how he returned to the win column.

“The objective is to get back the belt and that was the first step,” Barao said. “I’m very happy about that and I was very happy to have the opportunity to fight for the championship again.”

For Barao, finding success in the rematch with Dillashaw comes down to strategic adjustments. Dillashaw’s speed, movement and diverse striking attack overwhelmed Barao in the first meeting. He was knocked down in the first, battered for the second, third and fourth, then finally Dillashaw finished the job with the TKO in the fifth.

There were few positives for Barao to take from his in-fight performance in that loss. However, looking back, he said there are clear changes that can be made.

“We are doing a lot of excellent work on foot movement and head movement,” Barao said. “This is a very important thing. The objective is to fight with every piece of my skill and use all the possibilities to move forward.

“I learned a lot (from the first fight). We have studied a lot with my team in all the fields of fighting. I’ve been training very hard for this fight. It’s a very different situation now.”

Barao has the opportunity to make history at UFC 186 because a victory make him a two-time UFC champion. No titleholder in UFC history at 155 pounds or below has lost the belt then come back to regain it, but Barao could become the first to accomplish the feat.

Barao is already familiar with the feeling of holding the UFC championship. It’s now his goal to recapture that glory in less than two months time.

“I want to be the champion again – I’m very eager to get the belt back,” Barao said. “I have lot of confidence after my last victory and I’m excited to fight and get this belt once again.

“It’s a dream to be the champion again. I had it for quite some time and it’s finally going to happen again. I’m eager to have the championship again.”

For more on UFC 186, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.