Khabib’s Coach Says Conor McGregor Will Return Soon But Might Not Expect His Potential Next Opponent…
Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagamedov is one of the most hyped potential fights in recent UFC history. There is no guarantee that the pair will even be booked, but if fans get their way, the pair will be meeting in the octagon.
Most fans and analysts would expect that the UFC will be desperate to promote this fight. After McGregor’s insane attack on the UFC 223 media bus carrying ‘The Eagle’, the rivalry between the two men has released insane a new level.
While McGregor’s methods are questionable – and might cost him a lot of money in legal fees, there’s no doubt in most people’s minds that Nurmagamedov should be his next opponent. However, according to Team Khabib, this will not be the case. McGregor will fight the Russian eventually, but he has unfinished business to deal with first.
Logical
Now that Nurmagamedov is the new UFC lightweight champion after beating Al Iaquinta, you’d expect McGregor to be desperate to get back his belt. However, according to Khabib’s coach Javier Mendes, the Irishman’s priority is completing the Nate Diaz trilogy.
“The next big one that’s going to happen before that, in my opinion, and I believe the logical step for Conor would be to fight Nate Diaz.”
While this is not official yet, McGregor was due to make a statement at UFC 223 in Brooklyn, before getting arrested and spending the night in a police cell. This fight might actually make sense now because both men have been out of action. A rematch would allow both of them to instantly reclaim the spotlight.
Get Ready
It would also be a great tune-up fight for McGregor. He’s been out of MMA action since 2016. His only fight last year was in the boxing ring when he was totally outclassed by Floyd Mayweather. It’s fair to say that he hasn’t spent a lot of time focusing on his ground game. He’ll need to be at his sharpest to compete with the unbeaten Nurmagamedov.
Diaz is no doubt a dangerous opponent. However, it will be interesting to see how he fares against McGregor at lightweight. Both of their previous bookings were at welterweight. McGregor struggled to knock out the bigger Diaz and gassed out in both fights.
As a natural lightweight, he might have more success against Diaz. McGregor will be desperate for a dominant and convincing win over the Stockton native, to prove to the world that he is still one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.
One Day
If Mendes is right, it might just be too soon for McGregor and Nurmagamedov to fight. That might open the door to Dustin Poirier to finally get a title shot. If McGregor beats Diaz in their potential third fight and avoids taking too much damage, new avenues could open for the ‘Notorious’.
However, don’t be too disappointed. The UFC dream of running a card in Russia. They would prefer to test the waters by having a smaller card there first. If that goes well then they’ll surely be back with Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagamedov.
