Tyron Woodley revealed he called out Khabib Nurmagomedov because he wants "the impossible".
The 37-year-old welterweight challenged lightweight king Khabib to a catchweight fight after the Russian's dominant title defence against Dustin Poirier.
Woodley lost his UFC welterweight belt to Kamaru Usman in March and explained that he needs a big challenge to motivate himself again.
Speaking at a Q&A event at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Woodley explained why he joined the growing queue of fighters ready to take on Khabib.
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"He's a beast," Woodley said. "I just think that right now in my life and my career, I need the impossible.
"I need the stuff that nobody can do, I need the thing that's gonna motivate me beyond measure and I think that he provides that.
"Obviously, I could never make 155. I'm already kind of alluding to handling business at welterweight and going up to middleweight.
"It would have to be something at a catchweight, it would have to be something that he would be interested in.
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"He's on top of the world right now, I might not even be an option for him. It's more out of respect of what he can do.
"I know Dustin, he spars middleweights, light heavyweights, and for him to go out there and put on a performance like that against Dustin, I gotta see what it feels like."
Tony Ferguson and Conor McGregor have also been suggested as potential next opponents for Nurmagomedov.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tyron Woodley, UFC, MMA