UFC superstar Georges St-Pierre would consider a fight with controversial Irishman Conor McGregor, who he has likened in some ways to boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
St-Pierre, a two-division champion at welterweight and middleweight is hopeful of returning to the octagon later this year after suffering from ulcerative colitis.
McGregor's highly anticipated UFC comeback will be against unbeaten lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in Las Vegas in October.
The 30-year former featherweight and and lighweight champion hasn't been seen in the octagon since November 2016 and took a huge money boxing bout against Floyd Mayweather last year.
His outspoken attitude has ruffled plenty of feathers and he generated negative headlines after he was charged with with assault, criminal mischief and other crimes over a melee at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn earlier this year.
St-Pierre said McGregror's return to the UFC was good because of his box office appeal.
"He's about 'love me hate me, but don't ignore me," a little bit like Muhammad Ali at times," St Pierre told AAP on Monday in Sydney.
"It was before I was born, but I've been told that Muhammad Ali when he was fighting, most of the people hated him, he was not a very likeable person.
"He was very cocky, a lot of people wanted him to lose, but when we look back at things like this, we realise, 'wow, he did a lot for boxing.'"
McGregor has competed as a welterweight in MMA and St-Pierre suggested he wouldn't be averse to a fight with the feisty Iriishman.
"If it's a good deal that's put on the table why not? No problem, I don't reject any possibility," St-Pierre said.
Australia's Robert Whittaker was upgraded from interim to universally recognised UFC middleweight champion after St-Pierre relinquished the title due to his medical condition.
Whittaker won't fight again until next February due to injury, but GSP, as St-Pierre is known, doesn't think the UFC should sanction an interm title fight while it waits for Whittaker to recover.
"I think Robert deserves people to wait for him, a lot of bad luck has happened to him," St-Pierre said.
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