Khabib Nurmagamedov v Justin Gaethje promises to be one of the biggest fights of the year. The lightweight unification fight was plunged into doubt after the tragic death of Khabib’s father Abdulmanap. However, the Russian champion agreed to return for UFC 254 on October 24.
It is a very intriguing match-up because of the two men’s styles. Khabib’s wrestling is some of the most impressive and dominant in MMA today. Meanwhile, Gaethje also comes from a wrestling background but relies on his striking in the UFC. Will he be able to negate Khabib’s tactics?
However, one man who doesn’t appreciate Khabib’s style is Conor McGregor. Khabib defeated the Irishman in 2018 but the former two-weight champion still doesn’t appreciate his tactics. It’s an approach that divides fans. While it’s very effective, some think that it is boring. What do you think?
Drown
In an eerie message on Instagram, Khabib promised to “drown” Gaethje. That suggests that he will continue to use the same tactics that established him with an unbeaten record of 28-0. In sum, he is one of the most effective fighters that we have ever seen. Khabib breaks his opponents in a manner that is terrifying to watch. He wrote:
“Justin is a very nice guy and opponent for me, but when Octagon close he have to be ready not only boxing match, I’m not Dustin or Tony. I will take him into the deepest ocean and drown him.”
Ali Abdelaziz manages both men, but Khabib will do his stablemate no favors. Michael Bisping said on his BYM Podcast that this could be the worst time to fight the Russian. He is pain and will want to vent that.
No Respect
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is also active on social media. When he saw Khabib’s message to Gaethje, he couldn’t resist butting in. The Notorious took shots at Khabib’s wrestling style in a manner that is sure to divide fans. Some will rightly say that this is the style Khabib used so effectively against the Irishman. However, others will argue that McGregor has a point and that wrestling is boring. McGregor wrote:
“In other words – I’m going to be running around the outside of the cage, s******g my pants. And within the first ten seconds of the fight, I’m diving at his legs for a good whiff of his jockstrap.”
Retired
UFC President Dana White says that McGregor won’t fight again this year. He guaranteed it after McGregor’s latest comments. It’s a blow to fight fans hoping to see the polarizing Irishman in action. McGregor did initially plan to fight three times this year, but then it went crazy.
“This year, he is retired,” White said on the “My Mom’s Basement” podcast. “He doesn’t have a fight this year, and he won’t have a fight this year. Conor McGregor will not fight in 2020. I guarantee he will not fight in 2020.”
To be fair, it’s probably just as well. 2020 has had enough madness. We don’t need a Khabib v Conor rematch added to the mix.
