Conor McGregor and 26 other dudes have stepped in the cage with Khabib ... and exactly zero have walked away with anything besides an L ... but he's never fought Justin Gaethje.
The 30-year-old UFC star -- who's fresh off his insane KO of Edson Barboza -- laid out his blueprint for winning the lightweight title ... and it runs squarely through Dagestan.
"I'll take the winner of [Dustin] Poirier and [Max] Holloway. That's the fastest way to Khabib. I want Khabib. I want to fight the Russian.