UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov is taking a hard-line stance with his bosses ahead of his next fight in the octagon.

The undefeated Nurmagomedov has been clamoring for a title shot at 155 pounds. It was a request he couldn’t really make for the better part of two years while he was sidelined after a win over Rafael dos Anjos in April 2014.

But after he returned earlier this year at UFC on FOX 19 with a TKO stoppage of short-notice replacement Darrell Horcher, who stepped in for an injured Tony Ferguson, he’s back on active duty – and is giving the UFC basically one more strike, or he’s out.

Nurmagomedov (23-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) will fight Michael Johnson (17-10 MMA, 9-6 UFC) next month at the historic UFC 205 pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden in New York City. On the same card, new lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez (28-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will defend his title against featherweight champ Conor McGregor (20-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who will attempt to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts at the same time.

On Tuesday on “The Luke Thomas Show” on SiriusXM Rush Ch. 93, Nurmagomedov said if he doesn’t get a title shot after a win over Johnson, he’ll take his services elsewhere – and threatened to use his sway on his home turf to keep the UFC from setting up its debut in Russia.

Nurmagomedov said he thought he had title fights set up to fight Alvarez at either UFC 205 or UFC 206, which takes place Dec. 10 in Toronto. But those fights were pulled when McGregor re-entered the picture – and after, he said, Alvarez turned both down.

“I’m a little bit upset because I already had two contracts to fight for the title – UFC 205 and UFC 206 – and I signed both of them,” Nurmagomedov said on the show. “And after that, the UFC made this bull(expletive) decision. I’m a little upset, but it’s OK. Life, sometimes (expletive) happens. Now I have a new opponent, and now I have 40 days before the fight. Now I’m focused on the next fight. I’m not thinking about this bull(expletive) now anymore.”

Nurmagomedov said he believes rankings should determine who gets to fight the champ – even though he acknowledged the McGregor-Alvarez fight between two champions is a “money fight.”

“First of all, this is a sport. Champs have to fight the No. 1, and I’m the No. 1,” he said. “I’ve been fighting in the lightweight division for almost five years in the UFC. Conor never fought in the lightweight division (in the UFC). For me, I think this is a very bad situation, but I’m focusing on Michael Johnson.

“After this fight, I have to fight for the title. The UFC thinks Conor has power? (Ireland has) only 6 million people. I’m from Russia. Russia: 150 million people. If the UFC doesn’t give me a title fight after this fight, I’m going to show how I have power in Russia. And I know if I don’t fight for the title next fight, after this fight, the UFC never, ever will go to Russia. Never.

“I don’t care about what they say. The UFC and (President) Dana (White) all the time say this, this, this – but I never believed it. … I know I deserved a title shot a long time ago.”

Nurmagomedov debuted in the UFC in 2012 with a submission of Kamal Shalorus and went on to a decision win over Gleison Tibau, a TKO of Thiago Tavares and decision wins over Abel Trujillo and Pat Healy. After his decision win over dos Anjos in 2014, he was sidelined with repeated injuries – and dos Anjos went on to win the title over Anthony Pettis before losing it to Alvarez.

For more on UFC 205, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.