Khabib Nurmagomedov only wants to fight Georges St-Pierre after Justin Gaethje bout

Earlier this month, UFC legend Georges St-Pierre (26-2-0), seen by many as the greatest professional mixed martial artist ever, admitted he would be interested in completing a comeback to the octagon if he could face undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0-0). 

It appears the feeling is mutual. 

During a Tuesday appearance on ESPN's "First Take," Nurmagomedov said that he'd love to face GSP assuming that he successfully defends his title against interim champion Justin Gaethje at Saturday's UFC 254 event held at the "Fight Island" site on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. 

"I really become excited when I think about Georges St-Pierre," Nurmagomedov said. "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 vs. 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."

The 32-year-old who is chasing a GOAT status of his own notched wins over Conor McGregor (22-4-0) and Dustin Poirier (26-6-0) in his last two fights and doesn't wish to face the winner of a potential bout between those would-be challengers. 

"I finished both of them, and finished in dominant position, a dominant performance," Nurmagomedov explained. "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."

In an interview published by ESPN on Oct. 7, St-Pierre said: 

"If I ever come back, I'm not coming back for many fights. If I come back, it would be for one fight. 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."

St-Pierre turned 39 years old in May and hasn't fought since he toppled Michael Bisping in November 2017. UFC boss Dana White has previously suggested that Nurmagomedov could retire at 30-0-0 with a walk-off win over a massive star such as St-Pierre or McGregor.