If You Believe the Words From the Eagle, There Will Be No Rematch Between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagamedov… The Russian Says He Actually Wants to Fight People With Winning Streaks…
Has the time passed by where Conor McGregor can walk into the UFC headquarters and just demand what he wants? In the promotion’s new ESPN phase, it appears that might be the case. Having a massive star like McGregor is obviously good for Pay-Per-View sells, but they have the security of a fixed fee contract anyway.
Khabib Nurmagamedov recognizes this and he’s not about to bow down to the Irishman’s demands for a rematch with the Russian lightweight champion. The Eagle is 27-0, with 11 wins in the UFC. The only lightweight with a longer winning record than him right now is Tony Ferguson.
And it could be Ferguson who will be next for the champion if he gets past Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi in September. He’s adamant that Conor McGregor will not be next in line and had some very harsh words for the Irishman.
"He tapped. He begged me, 'please don't kill me.'"@TeamKhabib shoots down McGregor rematch (via @ufc) pic.twitter.com/SYdZswNeR0
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 12, 2019
Lucky to be Alive
Khabib spoke to assembled media at his first press conference with his next challenger Dustin Poirier. ‘The Diamond’ currently holds the interim championship following Khabib’s suspension. The two are set to fight on September 7th. Khabib says that whatever happens, McGregor will not be his next opponent.
“The last three years he only have one victory in amateur boxing, how [does] he deserve rematch?” Nurmagomedov said. “He tapped. He begged me ‘please, don’t kill me’ and he talks about rematch. Tony Ferguson on the line. People who have win streak are on the line but not the guy who don’t win nothing the last three years.”
He does have a point. McGregor hasn’t won a UFC fight since beating Eddie Alvarez in 2016. But to be fair he has only fought once since then in MMA, with his loss to Khabib coming after a brief foray into boxing against Floyd Mayweather.
Massive Fight
The Dagestani fighter does not want to get distracted as he defends his title for the second time. He’s treating Poirier as seriously as any of his previous opponents and plans to beat the Louisiana fighter with his trademark brutal efficiency. He said:
“I’m preparing for this fight like I’m going to have the hardest fight in my life. I can’t wait. Sept. 7 is going to be a big, big night for me, for my legacy and for Dustin, too.”
This could be a great fight.
Legacy Defining
When asked how he could beat a man who has seemed indestructible throughout his MMA career, Dustin Poirier didn’t hesitate. He explained how his experience and self-belief could be enough to do what 27 others have failed to achieve. He also offered an interesting perspective:
“I don’t need to find huge holes (in his game) – the guy’s good, you know?” he said. “I can’t sit up here and say anything bad about the guy – he’s good. He’s a world champ. But I’m going to make things happen in there and bring him to places he’s never been in there. So that’s just it.”
What are the odds on Poirier v McGregor with the lightweight belt on the line?
