The Notorious Had a Keen Eye on Events in Abu Dhabi Last Night And Wants to Fight Khabib Nuragamedov in Moscow… Will He Get His Rematch?
Khabib Nurmagamedov put on one of the most impressive performances of his 28-fight career in Abu Dhabi at UFC 242, beating Dustin Poirier by rear-naked-choke in the main event. It was the Russian’s first appearance in the octagon in 2019, after returning from suspension.
He wasn’t allowed to fight for six months after instigating the post-fight brawl with Conor McGregor. A combination of other factors including Ramadan and his own desire for a bit of a break from the relentless nature of competition saw an interim title get made. Now though, Khabib is the undisputed champion after a dominant victory.
The big question is who does he fight next? Of course, it should be Tony Ferguson – and fingers crossed it actually will be. But Conor McGregor decided to remind the world of his existence last night as well.
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Khabib didn’t have it all his own way last night. He was slightly rocked by a few Poirier punches, but was able to reassert his pressure over ‘The Diamond.’ He also survived a guillotine attempt by the interim champion. Still, it was an incredible performance in front of a partisan crowd who were backing him all of the way. After the fight he said:
“My next opponent, it’s a very good steak and a burger with double cheese, I want this one. With some juice, with ice. I wanna enjoy it a little bit, give me a couple days guys, please.”
We don’t blame him for that, but it’s too late because the speculation has already begun.
Tony Time
However, Dana White confirmed that Tony Ferguson would be next in line for a title shot – if he wants it. That suggests that all is not well between ‘El Cucuy’ and the UFC top brass so it will definitely be something to keep an eye on.
“Yeah, he’s next, Tony Ferguson is next in line for the fight, if he accepts the fight,” UFC president White said at the post-event press conference. “We’ll see how this thing plays out, when Khabib fights again and when Tony wants to fight. Tony Ferguson gets the next shot and obviously if for whatever reason Tony can’t take the fight or doesn’t want the fight at that time then we’d figure out what’s next,”
“But Conor would make a lot of sense. Conor wants that fight really badly and I’m sure a lot of fans would want to watch it. Let’s see how it plays out.”
Book my rematch for Moscow.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 7, 2019
Rematch
McGregor himself couldn’t resist the opportunity to send his name around the world. After Khabib put the cap on another highly effective performance, the controversial Irishman tweeted his intentions. He wants that rematch and he’s happy to go all the way to Moscow for it. He wrote:
“Book my rematch for Moscow.”
Now it does seem unlikely that he will be next in line. But if things fall apart – as they tend to often do in the UFC – then you know what’s going to happen.
