Nurmagomedov's swim, the conditions of Saint-Pierre and a new challenge to McGregor: what is being discussed in the UFC world

Perspectives of Nurmagomedov

At the moment, Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the main stars of mixed martial arts in the world. He owns the lightweight title and takes second place in the ranking of fighters, regardless of category. But even at the peak of his career, the Russian continues to think about leaving the sport. So, he once again confirmed that in a few years he intends to hang gloves on a nail.

“Perhaps a couple more years. Three years maximum. I think maybe two, because I do not want to fight all my life and I know that it is very difficult. I understand that there are a lot of young, hungry guys on the way. Remaining undefeated and unchallenged champion is forever something almost impossible. In my opinion, this is simply impossible, ”Nurmagomedov told MMAJunkie.

According to the Russian, in any sport, an athlete is defeated sooner or later. In this regard, Nurmagomedov believes that it is necessary to clearly understand when to stop and end your career.

Thus, Nurmagomedov assured that he was not going to follow in the footsteps of Fedor Emelianenko and Anderson Silva, who continued to perform even after 40 years. Earlier, Habib has repeatedly stated that with age, the athlete will inevitably lose shape, which entails a decrease in results.

In addition, the reigning champion spoke out about his third title defense. At the moment, the first contender for the honorary title is Tony Ferguson, whose assets include a winning streak of 12 battles. The athletes themselves are also united by a long history of confrontation, which includes four unsuccessful attempts to organize a fight.

“I think he is a very good and strong opponent. This is an experienced fighter, but the result will be the same. I think so. Nothing changes. New opportunities and new names are opening up before me, but everything will remain the same, ”Nurmagomedov concluded.

Moreover, at the moment, the Russian athlete is in excellent shape and continues to work hard on himself, even outside the training camp. So, a video appeared on the network in which Nurmagomedov swims against the current in cold water.

“Hard work and dedication performed by champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Today it was very cold, but he doesn’t care ... Tony, you're in trouble! ”Said the user who posted the video.

View this Instagram post

Posted by @ kingfarruh13 Oct 2019 at 9:27 PDT

The conditions of Saint Pierre and the hopes of Porrier

Despite Ferguson's regalia, he is not officially approved as a future rival to Nurmagomedov. In particular, this may indicate that the UFC is not completely sure of the financial success of such a battle and is trying to organize a larger-scale duel. In light of this, the candidacy of Georges Saint-Pierre is an almost perfect option and the guarantor of both high ticket sales and television broadcasts. It is unlikely that anyone will decide to miss the long-awaited return of the legendary Canadian to the octagon, and even against such a star opponent.

If Nurmagomedov has repeatedly stated his desire to measure strength with Saint-Pierre, the position of the Canadian himself remains not completely clear. A year ago, he lobbied for this idea, but after receiving several rejections from UFC President Dana White, he took a step back. At the same time, a month earlier, he put an end to this issue, noting that he feels great in retirement and is not going to re-enter the cell.

However, later White himself replaced anger with mercy and allowed the possibility of a battle, which quickly affected Saint-Pierre's position. So, Georges said he was open to suggestions and said under what condition he would agree to fight with Habib.

“If a suitable battle is suddenly outlined, they know where to find me. We tried to organize a duel, but failed. It all depends on the circumstances. If everything is agreed upon by the contract ... then right now I can say that yes - I will be back, ”quotes Saint-Pierre MMA Fighting.

Former Russian rival Dustin Porrier also does not give up hope of revenge. So, the American reasoned about his future in the Absolute Fighting Championship and told who he would like to measure his strength with.

“I would give Gatgi a rematch if he wanted to. Of course, there is still Conor. I would love to beat Tony. Possible revenge with Habib. But this is too far from reality, ”Porrier told MMA Junkie.

Also, Dustin did not rule out welterweight fights. According to him, he does not intend to make a full transition to this weight category, but for the sake of an interesting fight he is ready to gain weight.

Yang rivals and the challenge of Sehudo

Continues the search for an opponent and the Russian fighter Pyotr Yan. In June, the fourth number of the lightest weight underwent surgery on the elbow and will soon be ready to return to the champion race. Among his possible counterparts are both ex-UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and illustrious Juraj Faber.

It is noteworthy that the 40-year-old Faber ended his career in 2016, but three years later made a triumphant return to the octagon. It took the American only 46 seconds to knock out Ricky Simon and reiterate his claim to the title. But on Jan, such a performance was not impressed.

“I'll be the last one Faber fights with. Because after the fight with me, he will have to retire again. To be honest, I understand that he is looking for the best option for himself. But if he calls himself a contender and wants to fight for the title, then here I am. We must meet and determine who is better, ”said Yang.

The priority option for the Russian is precisely Edgar. After losing to Max Holloway, he decided to go down one category below, but so far has not decided on plans for the future. Perhaps Frankie is a little distracted by talk of a possible fight with McGregor, which has recently been considered more than a real prospect.

“I would like to fight Edgar. I do not challenge him, but if the UFC offers me this fight, I will not refuse. When Frankie announced that he was going to go down (in weight. - RT ), he immediately said that he was ready. But I don’t think he wants to fight me. If I offer him a fight, he will not say anything, ”Yang said.

He assured that his main goal is to fight for the title with Sehudo. The Russian admitted that he intends to become a champion and make the American "kneel before him." According to him, the situation is complicated by the fact that Henry currently owns belts in two categories.

“Of course, it slows down the division. Everything hung in the air because Henry himself did not know what he was going to do. He does not say he plans to defend the title at flyweight or bantamweight. I think that stylistically blends well with Sehudo. I fight well with the wrestlers ... If necessary, I will be ready to spend five or ten rounds, ”the athlete concluded.

At the same time, Sehudo himself seems to be absolutely not interested in defending his ranks. So, just recently he challenged Valentina Shevchenko to the UFC flyweight champion, and now he has set his sights on yet another resonant fight. The American admitted that he would like to fight Conor McGregor.

“Conor just says. He barks, but does not bite. Yes, the Irishman beat some good fighters about ten years ago ... I want to fight with McGregor and also become rich, ”Sejudo quotes BJPenn.com.