UFC boss Dana White reckons Khabib Nurmagomedov could face Conor McGregor in his final fight.
McGregor, 32, announced his retirement from MMA last month but White isn't ruling out a blockbuster rematch between The Notorious and his Russian rival.
Khabib's father Abdulmanap recently passed away after a battle with coronavirus and The Eagle has been quiet on his fight future as he mourns the loss of his mentor.
His manager Ali Abdelaziz has, however, said that the undefeated Russian will defend his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje on October 24.
Khabib was due to defend his 155lb belt against Tony Ferguson in April but was unable to travel due to the pandemic.
Instead, Ferguson was beaten by Gaethje who became the interim champion, setting up a shot at Nurmagomedov in the process.
A win in his next fight would take Khabib's record to 29-0 and White told ESPN he would allow Nurmagomedov to choose his final opponent if he decides to call it a day at 30-0.
Reaching 30-0 was mentioned by Khabib's late father last year and he may decide to pursue that goal before bowing out in style as an undefeated champion.
White said: "At the end of the day, the Conor McGregor [rematch], I know Conor has wanted that fight since the last one.
"That's a fight to make, but I don't know. We'll see how this plays out.
"This guy's been great to the company, great to the sport. I like Khabib a lot. I would do anything Khabib wanted to do."
Bitter rivals McGregor and Khabib met in October 2018, when the Russian submitted the Dubliner and ugly scenes ensued with scuffles inside and outside the octagon.
