Khabib Nurmagamedov’s rivalry With Conor McGregor Hits New levels with Branded Chicken Hitting Supermarkets…
The new UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagamedov is something of a folk hero in his native Dagestan, Russia. He defeated Al Iaquinta last Saturday at UFC 223 to win the 155-pound belt and kickstart a new era in the division. However, that story basically played second fiddle to the madness involving Conor McGregor last week.
After Khabib and his team ganged up on McGregor’s Russian teammate Artem Lobov, the Notorious decided he wanted revenge. So the obvious next step was to hop on a private jet with 20 Irish men and attack the media bus carry Khabib and a whole bunch of other fighters.
The rivalry between McGregor and Nurmagamedov could see the pair square off when the UFC finally announces the card in Russia that they’ve always wanted to do. If you’ve any doubts about the demand for it to happen, just pop down to Khabib’s local supermarket, where you can find Conor McGregor labeled chicken.
Chicken Man
‘The Notorious’ is also the face of Burger King’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich. This has led to Khabib calling McGregor the “chicken man” every chance he gets. A Dagestani supermarket has jumped on the bandwagon and used the catchphrase to sell more frozen chicken.
As can be seen in the video below, it’s a real thing. You walk into the fridge section to pick up your groceries and there you go. That’s quite simply brilliant marketing. It would be interesting to find out if it has actually helped them sell more chicken, but what can’t be denied is that it truly is ‘Khabib Time.’
UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov has been calling Conor McGregor a “chicken” since 2016. Now, a Dagestani supermarket has begun labeling its frozen chicken after the Irishman (h/t @joaska_ ) pic.twitter.com/oDDToMB8Al
— Karim Zidan | كريم زيدان (@ZidanSports) April 11, 2018
Let’s Fight!
Although McGregor is still persistently being linked to a rematch against Floyd Mayweather, diehard MMA fans are pushing for him to fight Khabib. The Mayweather fight would allegedly take place under modified boxing rules. Basically, the only concessions towards MMA would be that it would be in a cage, in bare feet, with 4oz gloves.
Technique wise, there would be no elbows, kicks, knees or takedowns. However, clinch work would be acceptable. That’s according to Omar Al-Sharifi whose story went viral the other day and has now been rubbished by UFC president Dana White. Can people please realize that Floyd Mayweather is a 41-year-old billionaire?
Competitive
No, in all seriousness we want a real fight. McGregor vs Khabib is much more interesting because it would be two stylistically different opponents who would actually be competing against each other. It’s clear that the UFC will not be cutting McGregor, so let’s punish properly by putting him in an octagon opposite ‘the Eagle’.
It would be genuinely interesting. Rightly or wrongly Khabib’s striking has been heavily criticized over the last week. Meanwhile, McGregor has been proven to struggle against competent wrestlers in the past. There are holes in each other’s game that the pair could exploit.
Khabib could give Conor the most miserable 25 minutes of his life, by just beating the soul out of him from top position. Or one left hand from McGregor could put Khabib to sleep. It’s fascinating and unpredictable, with both men prone to gassing out after two rounds. Add in their ferocious rivalry and we’ve got a fight for the ages. Let’s have it.
