Mike Jackson is still waiting for a conversation with UFC President Dana White on his future with the promotion.

“He’s still got me on timeout,” Jackson told MMAjunkie Radio.

White swore off Jackson (1-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in spite of a win over ex-WWE champ Phil “CM Punk” Brooks (0-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC). He also swore off Jackson’s subsequent request to fight Artem Lobov, saying it might result in Jackson’s death.

Jackson, though, remains optimistic he’ll be able to change White’s mind. He doesn’t have to convince Lobov (13-14-1 MMA, 2-4 UFC), who once said he’d fight Jackson anywhere and any time.

Lobov’s most recent octagon booking at UFC 223 was canceled when he participated in a bus attack led by his longtime friend and sparring partner, Conor McGregor. He remains unbooked.

Jackson said the idea to fight Lobov isn’t new. It first occurred after his blowout loss to Mickey Gall in his 2016 UFC debut. Now, after his win over Punk, Jackson thinks he could move down from 170 pounds to meet Lobov at lightweight.

Lobov has struggled mightily as a UFC featherweight, going 2-3 in the division since dropping from lightweight.

“It’s not a knock on him,” Jackson said of his callout. “I don’t want to come off as it be disrespectful. I just think stylistically, it would be a fun and exciting fight.”

Jackson could use one of those if he’s looking to stage a comeback. His win over Punk brought him a new level of fame among UFC fans. But it also brought a gang of internet warriors convinced they could beat him in a fight. One would-be fighter from Canada went so far as to have a promoter call Jackson to arrange it for real.

“For whatever reason, the Canadians want to fight me bad,” Jackson said. “I don’t get this anger and aggression toward me.”

White was incensed by Jackson’s style in the cage. He was convinced the fighter, who doubles as an MMA journalist, didn’t go hard enough to finish the fight and was playing around in the octagon.

Jackson contends he was merely executing the best strategy to win the fight.

“I sent the dude to the hospital,” he said. “It was 30-26 on all scorecards. People called it a bad fight. I went back and watched the fight, even without commentary, and I was like, ‘This wasn’t a bad fight.’

“Now, there are some things I would have done a little differently, but the overall game plan would have been the same. All the people hating, they’ve got to stop.”

In all likelihood, it probably won’t any time soon. Jackson outclassed Punk, but his work didn’t win him any respect among the gatekeepers of the world’s biggest MMA promotion.

Jackson may have Lobov’s blessing for a matchup. If he can somehow do the same for White, it’s a done deal.

But first, he said, the UFC president needs some time to chill.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.