Even with no title on the line, Dustin Poirier would rather rematch Khabib Nurmagomedov over Conor McGregor

Dustin Poirier is out to make history.

Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC), who’s competed against the best lightweights in the sport, has very few blemishes on his record.

Since making his pro MMA debut in 2009, the former UFC interim lightweight champion has only lost six times in 33 fights.

Two of his recent losses have come at the hands of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former UFC dual-champ Conor McGregor.

Although the loss to McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in 2014 was a turning point for Poirier, who moved up to 155 pounds and found much success, the McGregor rematch isn’t on his mind like it once was.

If he had to pick between the two, Poirier’s most recent loss to Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) last September at UFC 242 is the one he’d rather run back – not because Nurmagomedov is champion, but simply because no one has had an answer for him, and he would love to be the one to solve the puzzle.

“If the belts weren’t on the line, just for my legacy, I would love to beat Khabib,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “Nobody’s ever beat him. Nobody’s ever climbed that mountain. I would love to be the first one. That’s historic. That’s legendary. That’s the stuff I’m out to do. I’m not out for rematches and grudge matches and revenge. I’m a grown man, I don’t hold that stuff in my heart. I have a family and this is a business to me.

“When I was younger, I might have wanted to fight Conor or fight anybody who beat me. But I’m just comfortable with everything. I’m comfortable with my record, with the stuff that I’ve done, the fights I’ve done. The fights that I’ve lost, I learned my lessons and tried to keep moving forward. So I’d really like to be the first one to beat Khabib.”

After losing to Nurmagomedov, Poirier rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN 12 in one of the best fights of the year so far to put himself back in the lightweight title picture.