The Eagle Wants to Become the Greatest of All Time… And He Knows Exactly Who He Has to Fight to Earn That Status…
Khabib Nurmagamedov had a lot to say at his first press conference with UFC 242 opponent Dustin Poirier. The 155lb champion is set to take on the interim title holder in Abu Dhabi this coming September, in a fight that has slowly become eagerly anticipated. Poirier has the hunger and the class to test the champion so it should be very exciting.
As well as destroying Conor McGregor’s attempts to talk his way back into title contention, Khabib wanted to outline his vision to seal his legacy. The 27-0 fighter has never looked like losing throughout his career and has effectively brutalized everybody that has stood in a cage in front of him.
Now he wants to cement his status as the greatest of all time by taking on Canadian legend Georges St. Pierre. There’s a reason that a special clause was included in his contract should this match-up ever come to fruition. GSP is retired officially, but if this fight can be made then it really should be. There probably isn’t a bigger match-up right now.
Next Up
Nurmagamedov has made a lot of money over the last couple of years. He’s also spending his days hanging out with Russian energy giant oligarchs and Middle Eastern Sheikhs. Legacy is his biggest motivation right now. Improving that winning streak against the best fighters on the planet is exactly what he wants to do. He’s not underestimating Poirier but has an eye on the future too.
“I have to beat Dustin, I have to beat Tony Ferguson, and I have to beat GSP,” Nurmagomedov said. “Then I can become pound-for-pound No.1 fighter. This is my opinion.”
Has to Happen
We agree with the Eagle’s opinion. Tony Ferguson should be first and then get St. Pierre out of bed. These fights need to happen before its too late. Ferguson has the longest winning streak in the UFC lightweight division. He took Donald Cerrone apart in the second round of their fight in Chicago before it ended with slight controversy. He should not be denied a title shot.
Then, by all means, have the super fight with Georges St. Pierre. He hasn’t fought since his 2017 title win over Michael Bisping. Then he became a two-weight champion winning the middleweight strap. Not bad for the Montreal man who is without a doubt the best welterweight fighter in the history of the division.
Nothing Doing
This match-up was much hyped in the past. St. Pierre basically retired because the UFC refused to make the deal for him to fight for the lightweight title. If he won against the 155lb king, he would have become the promotion’s first triple champion and the undisputed greatest fighter in the history of the UFC.
However, after the mess that middleweight was left in when he vacated the title, the UFC was understandably not eager to risk messing up one of their most stacked divisions anymore. The Canadian was also open to fighting for a 165lb belt or at a catchweight, but the UFC for some bizarre reason refused to get involved. If Khabib gets past Poirier, there could finally be some heat behind this potential match-up.
