McGregor predicts Khabib will be stripped of title after UFC 257

Conor McGregor expects the UFC to strip Khabib Nurmagomedov of the lightweight title following Saturday's pay-per-view event.

Additionally, McGregor believes his rematch with Dustin Poirier - which headlines UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - should be for the vacant belt.

"I would make the case if (Nurmagomedov) is continuing to dodge this, and dodge the commitment of competing again, the title should be stripped and we should be engaging in a title fight," McGregor said Thursday at the UFC 257 press conference.

"I'm interested to hear what the excuses (are) or what will be said after the fight," he added. "But I predict a title strip."

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement after beating Justin Gaethje in October. Since then, UFC president Dana White has repeatedly said he thinks Nurmagomedov will come back for one more fight and attempt to push his professional record to 30-0.

But Nurmagomedov has maintained that he is no longer an active fighter, brushing aside White's attempts to get "The Eagle" back into the Octagon.

McGregor hopes to fight Nurmagomedov again after losing to him in 2018, but "The Notorious" said it won't be a matchup he pursues if the Russian is truly unwilling to compete.

"The world knows this fight is not over," McGregor said. "This war is not over. The sport needs it to happen, the people need it to happen.

"(But) I'm not going to chase it if he doesn't want it. I'll keep my calm and move on, and that's what I'm doing."