UFC Lightweights Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor are perfect rivals on a collision course.
The short-spoken stoic Dagestani is a jarring contrast to the cocky Gucci- clad Irishman. Their combat styles are no similar, as McGregor is a rangy left-handed counterpuncher, whereas Khabib is an aggressive grinder with some of the best MMA grappling ever seen in the Octagon.
Last Saturday at UFC 219, Khabib put on his best performance yet against one of the division’s most dangerous strikers, Edson Barbosa. He ran down and mauled Barbosa over three rounds in a performance that electrified the MMA fanbase. UFC commentator and analyst Dan Hardy tweeted that he believes Khabib is the best Lightweight in the world.
Unfortunately, in his last attempted outing, Khabib missed weight against Tony Ferguson, who went on to win the division’s interim title against Kevin Lee. The official title is held by Conor McGregor, who only has one fight at Lightweight and has not competed in MMA in over a year.
But the often aloof McGregor is apparently paying close attention to Khabib. He went on a twitter rant the day after Khabib’s win in which he called the Dagestani’s performance “dog shit.” And at least claimed that he would come back if the money is right. He is sitting on reputation now that many speculate he will not risk against the streaking Tony or Khabib, especially considering that Conor is likely sitting pretty atop 9 figures after his TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather in August.
It seems as though negotiations are not going as McGregor would like. His tweet was in reference to the equity he has demanded from the UFC in order to return.
In any case, the UFC will need to act soon. Tony and Khabib are two burgeoning stars at the top of their games, but the UFC cannot force Tony to defend his interim belt against Khabib while Conor McGregor refuses to defend the official belt. The UFC management either have to reach an agreement with Conor or strip him of the title and unify it with Ferguson’s.
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