At one point, it looked like that fight might've been next.

“Zuffa Boxing came to me and offered me the fight,” Stanionis told The Ring. “I said 'yes' immediately. I didn’t try to negotiate or anything. I said 'yes' but I didn’t hear back from them. They all just went quiet.”

Hitchins, who signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa in April, made his welterweight debut for the upstart promotional company on July 26 against Ricardo Salas at Infosys Theater in New York City. He won every round on all three judges’ scorecards.

Lithuanian Stanionis returns to the ring Saturday night against Kaine Fourie at Zalgirio Arena in his hometown of Kaunas.

Provided he wins, Stanionis (16-1, 9 KOs) plans on turning his attention to Hitchins (21-0, 8 KOs), who The Ring’s No. 6-ranked welterweight isn't impressed with.

The former WBA 147-pound champion believes Hitchins has benefitted from the way he's been moved by his handlers, and not just because of his in-ring talent.

“He’s a good boxer, but he’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” Stanionis said. “He’s not as good as he says he is. He has good protection from his promoters and managers. I would love to fight him, but first I have to focus on my fight. After that, if he wants to fight, we can make it happen. That’s the type of fight I need.”