Conor wants to fight in Russia someday soon…
Recently, Conor McGregor reiterated his desire to fight in Russia in an Instagram post. It is not the first time this year Conor has talked about fighting in Russia. Back in June, Dana White relayed to media that Conor had expressed interest in facing Khabib Nurmagomedov in the country, something many MMA fans hope comes true one day.
While Conor was busy training for his bout against Floyd Mayweather this summer, he still had the time to tell Dana a fight in Russia was high on his wish list.
“You know what Conor told me?” the UFC President said, ‘I want Khabib in Russia,’” White told MMAjunkie on Wednesday at UFC headquarters. “Isn’t he (expletive) awesome? He’s like, ‘I want Khabib, in Russia.’ He’s awesome. Conor McGregor is a (expletive) unicorn. There’s nothing like him. He’s working on boxing Floyd Mayweather and then he’s talking about fighting Khabib in Russia right after.”
Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
The most logical bout for Conor to take in Russia would be against Khabib. Some from Conor’s team, however, doubt that Khabib is that big of a draw in his home country.
SBG Ireland’s, Artem Lobov, believes Conor is more popular in Russia and had this to say on the matter:
“Every time I go to Russia I get the feeling that (MMA) is the biggest sport in the country right now. It’s the coolest sport at the moment. Men and women love it. It’s become mainstream and there are a number of reasons for that.
“A personality like Conor’s appeals to the Russian people a lot. He’s always ready to go, he knocks people out and he’s tough. Obviously, Fedor Emelianenko is a huge national treasure. The president, Vladimir Putin, is a huge fan of his and the sport in general.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc_7G1lF1VA/?taken-by=khabib_nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov on Conor
As for Khabib, he sounds as though he has given up on facing Conor anytime soon. In fact, Khabib doubts Conor will ever defend his title.
The undefeated lightweight from Dagestan had this to say about Conor earlier this week:
“Conor doesn’t defend his belt. I don’t even know when he is going to do that. He has the name, it’s profitable for the UFC that he is the champion. They make money because of him and they won’t strip him off the belt. But in my opinion, Conor had to be stripped off his belt a long time ago. And Tony Ferguson should be the real champion.”
Khabib is scheduled to face Edson Barboza in the semi-main event at UFC 219.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc-RrxXAgOV/
Conor McGregor Wants to Fight in Russia
In the above post, Conor is complimentary of the Russian MMA fans and Russian leaders. He also expressed his desire to fight in the country someday soon.
“I am proud of my brother Artem Lobov. Inside the world famous Kremlin compound discussing and teaching our training methods to the Russian federal reserve on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. One day soon I will visit Russia and potentially compete there for my Russian fans, alongside my brother Artem. Thank you to all our Russian supporters for recognizing our lifetime of hard work and supporting us along the entire way. Without effort, you can not get a fish out of the pond.”