Jack Shore still has high hopes for his MMA career.
The former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion is already considered by some to be one of the best Welsh fighters of all time, at just 29 years old.
After finishing in the top 15 of the UFC's 135-pound rankings and amassing a 17-0 record, Shore revealed plans to retire undefeated like Welsh boxing superstar Joe Calzaghe.
The two-division world champion retired from the sport in 2008 with a record of 46-0 after defeating Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins, Mikel Kessler and Chris Eubank.
Ricky Simon shattered Shore's dreams of retiring undefeated in 2022.
After suffering a submission loss to Simon in the second round, “Tank'' made the bold decision to move up to featherweight in hopes of winning a new title.
Shore will take on veteran Makwan Amirkhani at 145 pounds for his division debut in March 2023 and will continue his featherweight journey Saturday night against JoAnderson Brito at UFC 301.
Although he can no longer retire undefeated, the UFC star insists his goal of becoming the Calzaghe of MMA remains and is something he will strive for over the next few years.
“For me, legacy is bigger than a title or an undefeated record,” Shore told talkSPORT MMA.
“When people talk about Welsh MMA, I want to put my name in the conversation: 'He was the best.' He was one of the best, if not the best. ”
“Like guys like Joe Calzaghe and Gavin Rees. Whenever someone mentions British boxing, whether they think he's Britain's best boxer or not, they mention Joe Calzaghe's name. He always comes up in conversations.
“That's what I want to do. If I can get into the featherweight ranks at the end of the year or early next year, I'll be the first Welsh fighter to be ranked in two weight classes in the UFC.
“I'm already the highest ranked fighter in Wales. I've reached number 13. I don't think there's a Welshman who's been ranked higher than number 13. I've worked hard at featherweight and climbed as high as I can and won't do anything. I'd like to see if that happens.
“I have time and I want to leave it behind when it's all over.”
Shore is only thinking about not suffering any more defeats.
Brito, who fights in his home country of Brazil this weekend, is on a four-fight win streak in the UFC and is the favorite to take the fight.
A victory over 'Tubaran' would set Shore up for a fight against a fighter in the featherweight ranks at UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester.
First of all, if he wants to get any closer to replicating Calzaghe's success in mixed martial arts, he will need to overcome his difficulties at UFC 301.
