Khabib Says Conor McGregor Fight Makes Sense If 'Notorious' Beats Poirier at 155

Khabib Nurmagomedov is open to a rematch with Conor McGregor, provided the Irishman wins his next fight and does so at 155 pounds.

During an appearance on the Real Quick With Mike Swick Podcast (h/t MMA Fighting's Steven Marrocco), Khabib said the following regarding another clash with McGregor: "If he beats [Dustin Poirier] at 155, it makes sense, but if they fight at 170, how can you fight at 170 and next fight you can fight at 155? They want to make everything easy. If you want to take the easy way, you never deserve the next title shot."

McGregor tweeted last week that he has accepted a fight against Poirier on Jan. 23:

Meanwhile, Khabib will defend the UFC lightweight championship against interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on Saturday.

Nurmagomedov beat McGregor by fourth-round submission at UFC 229 in 2018 to run his perfect record to 27-0.

Although all three judges had Khabib beating McGregor on their scorecards, McGregor claimed Monday that he should have been ahead before getting submitted:

McGregor bounced back with a win over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January, moving his record to 22-4, but he hasn't fought since, as he announced his retirement from the UFC after that contest.

Meanwhile, Khabib improved to 28-0 with a win over Poirier at UFC 242 in September 2019, but he hasn't fought since because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

McGregor recently announced plans to fight Manny Pacquiao in a boxing match, but after he agreed to fight Poirier, it appears as though his focus may be back on the UFC.

Poirier and McGregor fought once before at UFC 178 in 2014, and McGregor won by first-round technical knockout.

Provided Khabib beats Gaethje and retains the lightweight title, there is no shortage of potential challengers on tap for him.

Tony Ferguson is a possibility since Nurmagomedov and Ferguson were supposed to fight at UFC 249, but that bout was changed to Ferguson vs. Gaethje when Khabib couldn't make it to the United States amid the pandemic. Gaethje won that fight, which means Ferguson may have to earn his way back into the title hunt.

Aside from Ferguson, McGregor and Poirier are arguably the two names that make the most sense. McGregor has the most star power, and Poirier is 5-1 in his last six fights, with the only loss coming against Khabib.

There is no question that Khabib vs. McGregor II would be a massive box-office draw, and if Nurmagomedov beats Gaethje, it would carry extra meaning since Khabib would be going for a 30-0 record against McGregor.