The most fierce confrontation in UFC history: why Nurmagomedov-McGregor battle rematch is almost inevitable

On September 7, at a tournament in Abu Dhabi, Khabib Nurmagomedov will meet with Dustin Porrier in a duel for the title of UFC lightweight champion. In case of victory, the Russian will defend the honorary title for the second time and has every chance to take the lead in the rating of the strongest fighters, regardless of weight categories (pound-for-pound). Apparently, Conor McGregor will watch the fight at The Arena stadium on the island of Yas, who does not give up hopes to again measure his strength with a native of Dagestan.

Currently, the Irishman is on a long vacation. First, he was forced to serve a six-month suspension for participating in a brawl at the end of the UFC 229 tournament, and then was injured in his arm. In this regard, his return to the octagon has dragged on for a long time and at the moment does not have a clear date. As promotion president Dana White said, he is in contact with Conor, but there are no plans for his next fight yet.

At the same time, the functionary mentioned that a lot can be decided in September, when Habib will hold his fight. Thus, White hinted that in the very near future he could start organizing the long-awaited retaliatory battle between Nurmagomedov and McGregor, which has been discussed with might and main since their fight in October 2018.

Of course, in the light of McGregor's long downtime, the decision of the leadership to give him the right to fight for the title seems at least illogical. So, over the past three years, he spent only two fights according to the rules of mixed martial arts and only in one of them prevailed. This happened in November 2016 at the UFC 205 tournament in New York, in the main event of which Conor defeated Eddie Alvarez. That success brought him not only a fee of $ 3 million, but also the title of first champion in history in two divisions.

After that, there was a one-year absenteeism in boxing, a $ 85 million fee for a fight with Floyd Mayweather and a disappointing return to the cage. At the moment, McGregor not only does not have a decent victorious series, but also can not boast of regular performances.

But knowing the leadership of the largest MMA promotion in the world, there is no doubt that a rematch between Nurmagomedov and McGregor will still take place. Several factors speak in favor of this at once, but money is definitely the main one. Like any business, the UFC is obliged to generate income, and the battle between the Russian and the Irish is the easiest way to ensure it.

The promotion has two options: to organize a fight between Habib and Conor immediately after the end of the UFC 242 tournament or to begin to give Tony Ferguson the right to fight for the title. At the moment, the American has 12 consecutive victories in the track record, which makes him the undisputed first contender for the title. Due to mental problems, he was forced to take a short pause in his speeches, but returned in June and confirmed his status. It took him only two rounds to deal with a powerful opponent in the person of Donald Cerrone.

However, the head of the UFC, Dana White, expressed his willingness to provide the opportunity to conduct the fight specifically to Ferguson.

“Again, if only Tony Ferguson was ready,” White said, answering an ESPN question if this fighter would be the next one to fight for the title. - Tony Ferguson and earlier provided opportunities, but he did not take advantage of them. If Tony is ready, then yes. ”

However, if the UFC management still decides to suddenly bet on McGregor, then Ferguson is at risk of becoming the main loser. Over the past two years, he managed to miss the chance to compete for the lightweight champion when he got injured a week before the fight with Nurmagomedov, and then lost the chance to win the title of first challenger. Tony refused the battle with Max Holloway and ceded this place to Dustin Porrier. As a result, the American took over and went to Abu Dhabi in the status of the holder of a time zone.

It is worth noting that Nurmagomedov himself would most likely prefer a battle with Ferguson. He himself has repeatedly said that he does not consider McGregor worthy of revenge, noting that he needs to win a couple of victories in order to return to the champion race again. In this regard, one can not disagree with him, because the lack of competitive practice and became the reason for such a devastating defeat of the Irish in the first fight.

The most logical option would be to give Ferguson the right to fight for the title, and at the same time organize a warm-up fight for McGregor. Of course, in the context of a future meeting with Nurmagomedov, his potential rival should be part of the elite of the lightweight division. The only problem is that at the moment all the representatives of the top 7 ratings have planned fights.

So, one of the priority options for McGregor could be a meeting with Justin Gatzy. He prefers to fight in a stance, but at the same time pays very little attention to defense. It was this recklessness that cost the American two consecutive early defeats - at first he lost to Eddie Alvarez, and then was beaten by Dustin Porrier. However, on September 14, he will fight with Donald Cerrone, which practically excludes his return to the octagon in 2019.

Among the possible candidates for the fight with McGregor could be attributed to Al Yakvintu and Edson Barbosa. The first managed to note a number of insults against the Irishman, and the second consistently enters the top 10 ranking tables and is a very spectacular fighter. But the first of them will face off against Daniel Hooker in October, and the second will perform at a tournament in Abu Dhabi, where Paul Felder will become his rival.

As a result, the only possible candidate for a fight with McGregor is Kevin Lee, who could be a good test for him before revenge with Nurmagomedov. The American specializes in wrestling and could arrange an excellent sparring for the Irishman, but the question is whether Conor himself would want to risk everything for the fight with the ninth rating number.

As a result, McGregor can use all his acting skills and literally force the UFC leadership to give him the title fight. So, in his recent ESPN interview, he already voiced a desire to fight with Nurmagomedov, and could soon make a couple more harsh statements. He has repeatedly argued that in order to achieve his goal he is able to cross the line and move on to direct insults. It is enough to recall his statements about the wife of Habib, as well as the mockery of Jose Aldo.

At the same time, one should not discount the option in which the Irishman decides to arrange his own show during the UFC 242 tournament. At the moment, his presence in the hall is not 100% excluded, which practically guarantees the presence of any provocations on his part. McGregor may try to slightly incite Nurmagomedov or someone from his team, create a scandal in the tribune room and thereby advertise their second match. It is unlikely that Dana White will be strongly against this if Conor remains within the permissible limits.