Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to accelerate his return to the UFC and fight this summer.
The lightweight champion is currently observing Ramadan and had previously expected to remain sidelined until September.
But he has now committed to a return in July - possible on the UFC's new Fight Island venue.
Nurmagomedov had been due to defend his belt against Tony Ferguson last month but was unable to travel to America.
Ferguson will now take on Justin Gaethje this weekend for the interim title - and the winner could face the champion sooner than expected.
“I can fight anytime, Ramadan finishes May 23," Nurmagomedov wrote on Twitter. "July I'm going to be ready, when 'Khabibtime' comes, I'm going to smash them all."
The fight between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov has fallen apart five times in the past - and could be postponed for good if the former loses to Gaethje.
But Ferguson insists he has no interest in the champion - or in Conor McGregor.
"F*** Khabib, I’m defending my belt for the third time," he said. "This is for the real belt, not an interim title. This is for the real championship.
"I told Khabib he needs to step down and walk away, Khabib is a b****.
"Him and McNuggets [McGregor], they both need to f****** retire. The only two real men out there are me and Justin Gaethje."
Asked if he would take on Nurmagomedov later this year, Ferguson added: “I’m going to be real, Khabib doesn’t even fucking exist to me right now.
"That dude fell off the face of the earth to me, hHim and McNuggets. Those dudes are a bunch of f****** bitches. The only dudes who sign on the dotted line are real f****** men."
