Khabib Nurmagomedov fights Tony Ferguson at UFC 223 on April 7, but could Conor McGregor be next in line? 

While many MMA fans and critics want that fight — and it's a logical fight to arrange should Nurmagomedov get past Ferguson — the undefeated Dagestani remains unconvinced. 

Speaking with TMZ Sports, Nurmagomdeov said he's not sure he'll ever get to face McGregor — nor is he sure McGregor will ever come back to MMA at all. 

Note: Transcription kept true to Nurmagomedov's speech so you can read it in his voice. You're welcome. 

"When is Conor compete last time in MMA? I forget about this," Nurmagomedov said. "Long time. He's boxing guy. He's good to stay in boxing, because you have to compete in MMA, like wrestling, grappling, conditioning 25 minutes — it's like different. It's very hard to him.

"They talk about (Floyd) Mayweather fight. I don't think he gonna come back." 

Then, Nurmagomedov cleared up some confusion. McGregor technically still holds the official, undisputed UFC lightweight title. The UFC hasn't stripped him yet, despite the fact he last competed in November 2016, when he won the belt at UFC 205 over Eddie Alvarez. 

Since that time, Ferguson defeated Kevin Lee at UFC 216 in October, where he was crowned the interim UFC lightweight champion. 

So is Nurmagomedov's fight vs. Ferguson for the undisputed championship or is it for the interim title? 

He explains. 

"We're going to fight [for McGregor's] belt," Nurmagomedov said. "The UFC strip his belt, now we're going to fight for real belt, 100 percent. I have contract, like, real belt. What are they going to do? They have only one real belt. They have interim belt, and they have real belt. They send me contract. 

"We're going to fight with Tony Ferguson for real belt. I have contract."

What's the confusion then? Why hasn't the UFC officially stripped McGregor? Nurmagomedov has a theory. 

"Maybe they don't want [McGregor] upset because he make good money," he said. "But I know I'm going to fight for the real belt because I have contract."