UFC fans are dying to see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor face each other inside the Octagon, and now we may be closer than we've ever been to seeing it happen.

Notorious has recently said that he is close to making a UFC comeback and that he hopes to return to the Octagon later this year. Many believe his return fight will be vs Khabib for the lightweight title.

Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told MMA Fighting this week that Khabib's camp wants the McGregor fight to happen too, but they're not accepting any deal unless they're shown respect.

Abdelaziz has said Khabib will not accept a fight against McGregor unless he is paid more than what Nate Diaz was for fighting vs Notorious.

“We will get a deal done. Trust me. My relationship with Dana, Hunter, Sean, Mick. I have a different relationship. I’m not gonna overplay my hand and they need to be fair.

"There’s no way in hell Nate Diaz can make more money than Khabib. There’s no way in hell. [Nurmagomedov is the] undefeated, undisputed lightweight champion of he world. That’s it.”

No waiting around

There appears to be a consensus between both parties that they want to book the fight for later this year in Las Vegas or New York. However, Khabib's manager has said they will not wait around for McGregor to make a decision.

He said: “If Conor starts playing games, we’re fighting Poirier. Poirier will get the shot. I think he deserves it before Conor. But Conor wants to come, you’ve gotta bring your check book with you. Because he doesn’t deserve it. Poirier deserves it.

“If you want to make this fight happen, it’s about money. It’s not about who’s the champion, the rankings — none of this stuff. It’s about money. Khabib wants to kick his ass, I want to see it, but at the end of the day, if Conor fights it’s business."

$10 million

Abdelaziz set the price that UFC will have to meet for Khabib to fight against McGregor, to which he says is $10 million.

He said: “I’m not a greedy guy. Go ahead and make $100 million. If Khabib can make $10 million, I’m happy. At the end of the day, it’s not just somebody I manage. It’s my little brother, too. It’s not, ‘I’m gonna fight for him, I’m gonna get you this deal.’

"It’s what he deserves. I don’t want anything extra than what he deserves. That’s it. I believe he’s one of the biggest stars in the UFC today.”