Khabib Nurmagomedov: 'If T.J. Grant is the next UFC lightweight contender, let him prove it by beating me'

Shit just got real (again).

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight contender T.J. Grant was expected to challenge Ben Henderson for the promotion's 155-pound title next month in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the Canadian grappler took a bump on the head and was forced to withdraw (details here).

His title shot, as expected, went to Anthony Pettis.

Whether or not he gets it back remains to be seen. Promotion officials were in no big hurry to guarantee his place in line, and revealed he could be looking at another fight to determine the rightful contender for the winner of "Henderson vs. Pettis."

And if that's the case, Khabib Nurmagomedov will be waiting (via UFC.com):

"I have asked for a fight with BJ Penn but I have not received a response. Perhaps they have different plans for him. I wanted to fight someone I watched on TV when I was younger. He is a legend. If BJ is not available I would love to fight (TJ) Grant. If he feels that he is the next title contender let him prove it by beating me at UFC 165 (September 21) in his homeland."

Hostile territory? Pffffft.

Nurmagomedov (20-0) has been perfect throughout his mixed martial arts (MMA) career and is already four wins deep in the UFC's stacked lightweight division. That includes his record-setting performance against Abel Trujillo at UFC 160 back in May.

And it sounds like B.J. Penn is in no hurry to get back inside the cage.

That means we have two talented 155-pound fighters with no one to play with. Perhaps we'll see these two hook 'em up at the UFC 165 pay-per-view (PPV) event, scheduled for Sept. 21, 2013 at the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Can anyone stop "The Eagle" from flying to the top of the division?