Nurmagomedov reached the summit of the UFC’s lightweight division in April at UFC 223, where he defeated Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision.
The Dagestan native’s first defence of the lightweight crown is expected to be against Conor McGregor, the man he succeeded at the summit of the 155lbs division.
A date for their grudge match has not yet been decided, though it’s been reported the pair will clash in the main event of UFC 229 on October 6.
Although he currently doesn’t have a date set for his return to the Octagon, the undefeated Nurmagomedov has resumed full training.
“Yes, I’ve started training,” Nurmagomedov told Russian website Tass this past weekend at the World Cup Final.
“I feel very good, thank God there are no injuries.
“I train hard, in the morning and in the evening, except on Sunday, I gave myself a rest to watch the World Cup.”
At this moment in time, the UFC brass are keen on having Nurmagomedov welcome McGregor back to the Octagon, which the Irishman hasn’t graced in over 19 months.
And late last month, Nurmagomedov claimed the promotion are attempting to book his grudge match with ‘The Notorious’.
However, that notion was shot down earlier this month by UFC president Dana White, who told reporters in the UFC 226 post-fight press conference: “You know what, I’m not even thinking about Conor till – I’m serious.
“I know they’re saying there are talks, but we’re not talking about a fight right now.
“Conor has to get through July, he’s got to get through July. Whatever’s going to happen to him in July, we’ll figure that out.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. Is he’s going to get fined, is he’s going to get probation, is he going to get this or that.
“When that’s over with, then we’ll start talking about him fighting.”
Should a fight with McGregor fail to come to fruition, Nurmagomedov already has three other opponents in mind for his first title defence.
“If not Conor, if not GSP [Georges St-Pierre], I think (the) winner of Eddie Alvarez versus Dustin Poirier,” Nurmagomedov said during the latest episode of Anatomy of a Fighter. “The winner deserves a title shot.
“About Tony Ferguson, I don’t know. He has surgery but if he can [fight], why not?” ‘The Eagle’ asked.
“Tony Ferguson is the biggest match-up for me. It is the match I want.
“I don’t know if he is healthy but if he is, why not?”