A variety of injuries suffered by both men has scuppered a fight between the two longtime undefeated lightweight standouts on four previous occasions, but with just five weeks separating us from the UFC 249 main event scheduled for Brooklyn, New York, the UFC lightweight champion has begun reflecting on the script that this particular fight may follow.

The Russian champion has been perfect in his 28 fights career fights thus far and has dropped just a single round in his 12-fight UFC tenure, but mixed martial arts analysts suggest that his next test will be be far his most stern.

Like Khabib, Ferguson has posted an enviable unbeaten streak in the UFC's lightweight frame, having also won his most recent 12 fights in the organization - and the champion is fully aware of the scale of the task facing him in the Big Apple.

"I think so," Nurmagomedov said when asked if Tony Ferguson represents the biggest threat to the gold belt around his shoulder. "Because, if you watch on his list, how many fighters he beat you know he is the real deal. He is the real deal.

"That's why I like this fight. He's a real challenge, a real opponent. A lot of people [say] that he can beat me. This is how you become the greatest fighter. You have to beat a lot of fighters when people talk about [how] you're going to lose.

"That's why I love this challenge. I hope finally we are going to fight."

For Khabib, it is difficult to see where motivation will come from with a victory. His closes rivals, messrs Ferguson and McGregor, would both have been vanquished, in addition to the eleven other names which comprise his UFC victims. 

Water-cooler talk would inevitably move to Nurmagomedov's status on the all-time pound-for-pound list, though the Dagestani isn't quite comfortable entering that conversation just yet.

"Talk about 'I'm the greatest of all time', I don't know," he said. "We have Jon Jones, Fedor, we have Demetrious Johnson, we have Henry Cejudo, we have 'DC', Anderson Silva... a lot of guys. One of the best? Maybe. But I don't want to talk about, 'I'm the greatest of all time.'"

First things first, however. Nurmagomedov faces what should be the single toughest test of his entire combat career in a little over a month's time and rather than being coy, he seems to have taken a page from a former foe's book by predicting when he sees Ferguson conceding defeat.

"I'm focused on a finish," he said. "I'm going to finish him. Second or third round."

So there you have it.