The running presumption among many pundits is if Khabib Nurmagomedov gets by Justin Gaethje in the main event of Saturday's UFC 254, then a blockbuster rematch with Conor McGregor would be on the horizon if the Irishman fights and beats Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 on Jan. 23.
But the stoic lightweight champion appeared Tuesday on "First Take" and said it's another UFC superstar he'd prefer to face — former two-division world champion Georges St-Pierre — instead of the guy he submitted in the fourth round at UFC 229 in October 2018.
"I really become excited when I think about Georges St-Pierre," Nurmagomedov said on the show. "I don't know if he wants to fight with me or not, can he make weight — 155 or not — but this fight makes me excited, honestly. And I think me versus Georges is going to be very, very big fight. Like big fight for fans, big fight for pay-per-view, big fight for analytics, for everybody. This is only fight in UFC, after Gaethje, that makes me very excited."
People have wondered if Poirier and McGregor meet up, if Nurmagomedov would entertain the idea of giving the former a rematch from their UFC 242 bout, which the Dagestan native won via third-round submission.
To Nurmagomedov (28-0), he wants fresh new challenges, like Gaethje this weekend, and not returning to the retread route.
"I finished both of them, and finished in dominant position, a dominant performance," Nurmagomedov said. "And I'm not interested in both of those guys because I need something new. I need new blood, new energy. Justin Gaethje gives me new motivation. He's the real deal. Right now, he's interim champ. He's very tough guy.
"If I think about both Dustin and Conor, they don't give me good energy. They don't give me motivation. Fight for what? For my legacy? I already put these guys on my list. I already beat them. Everything is finished with these guys."
St-Pierre, who last fought at UFC 217 in 2017, submitting Michael Bisping to win the middleweight title, has made it clear that if he does make a return that it would be against Nurmagomedov, even though the Canadian isn't sure he can make 155 pounds.
"If I come back, it would be for one fight," St-Pierre told ESPN in early October. "And I need to take, for me, the biggest fish. And the one — for me, I believe — the top guy right now, the name is Khabib.
"As a fighter, the most exciting thing is to take the guy who seems invincible, unbeatable. He has the aura of invincibility. But it's also the scariest thing to do."
The co-host of "First Take", Stephen A. Smith, broached the idea one more time to Nurmagomedov about the possibility of taking on McGregor. Nurmagomedov looked angry and gave an honest assessment.
"Right now, even I don't want to talk about this s—," Nurmagomedov said.