LAS VEGAS – UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is one of four male fighters in UFC history to win a title while undefeated. If all goes according to plan, his record will remain perfect until the day he walks away from the sport.

Weidman (12-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) said he has lofty aspirations for his UFC career. He wants to win every fight from now until he retires and become “the greatest of all-time.” The next chapter in accomplishing that goal requires a victory over Vitor Belfort (24-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) at UFC 187 on Saturday.

“I’m here to hold the belt, I’m here to create a legacy for myself and become the greatest of all-time,” Weidman told MMAjunkie. “I’m here to retire undefeated. I have goals and no one is stopping them. People are starting to catch on and if you haven’t caught on yet you will on Saturday.”

Currently 12-0 with eight consecutive UFC wins and two middleweight title defenses, Weidman believes he hasn’t received the proper respect for his achievements. That’s partially due to his title-winning victory over Anderson Silva at UFC 162 being dubbed a “lucky knockout” and his follow-up defense against Silva being labeled a “fluke” due to Silva’s shocking in-fight leg break.

The respect is seemingly starting to come ahead of his upcoming showdown with Belfort, which serves at the co-main event of UFC 187’s pay-per-view main card at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. The prelims air on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Weidman is currently pegged at high as a 6.5-1 betting favorite (-675), a number he said doesn’t surprise him at all despite Belfort’s longstanding history in the sport.

“I didn’t know I was (that big of a favorite); I’m not very surprised,” Weidman said. “I think people are starting to get it. You might not see it on Twitter, but I think people know, ‘Weidman is a different animal.’ The belt is staying here. There’s too much on the line and I have my goals. Giving up the belt to Brazil is not one of those things.”

There are several standout storylines following Weidman and Belfort into the upcoming championship bout. The chief among those, though, are Belfort’s return to competition after testosterone-replacement therapy was banned from the sport this past year as well as the fact the fight’s been postponed several times prior to UFC 187.

Much attention has been paid to Belfort’s physical transformation since his last octagon appearance in November 2013. “The Phenom” was one of the most prominent users of the now-banned TRT treatment. Belfort scored three consecutive head kick knockouts against Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson while on TRT, but it’s unknown how the absence of the treatment will impact his performance.

Weidman said he’s unsure what to expect out of Belfort on fight night. However, he insists he’s prepared for the version that has etched his name all over UFC record books with the most finishes and most first-round knockouts in company history.

“If you watch Vitor’s fights throughout his career, there’s some fights that he’s jacked out of his mind for, and then there’s some fights he’s not that jacked for,” Weidman said. “Some of the better fights he’s has in his career he wasn’t the most jacked guy. I don’t know if he was off his cycle or what it was, or not eating the horsemeat or not lifting as much weights, but there’s times where he was a lot slimmer and looked good.

“I’m expecting a guy who is maybe not going to have as much cardio problems and who is more free to do what he feels and what his instincts tell him to do.”

The blame for the repeated postponement of the bout can be placed on both fighters. The matchup has been set for UFC 173, UFC 181 and UFC 184, but injuries or other issues have prevented it from coming to fruition. With just a few days to go until UFC 187, the fight has never been so close to reality. For that, Weidman said he’s relieved.

“It’s relieving to finally have this fight; I want to get past Vitor and move on with my career,” Weidman said. “I’m not tired of the Brazilians. I’m not tired of fighting Brazilian fighters because they’re some of the best fighters in the history of the middleweight division. I’m happy to be part of it.”

Although he’s looking forward to the fight, Weidman made it clear he’s ready to get past Belfort and face the next opponent that will help him reach his desired all-time great status. In order to do that, though, he believes he needs a dominant performance at UFC 187. He said losing is not an option in this fight and that’s why he intends to dominate Belfort in every aspect of competition.

“I’m expecting a tough guy coming after me, but there’s no way I’m not leaving without the belt,” Weidman said. “There’s no way I’m not completely dominating the fight and putting a stamp on this division and letting everybody know that I’m the king of this division.”

And for more on UFC 187, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.