The visit of Conor McGregor to Moscow was one of the main events of the past week in mixed martial arts. Former UFC champion in two weight categories held the first press conference in Russia, met with bloggers, attended the Ivan Urgant show and attracted the attention of most Russian media. However, he probably had a specific goal - to prepare the way for a possible revenge fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Even before the start of the September tournament in Abu Dhabi, in which the Russian defeated the American Dustin Porrier, everything indicated that a second duel between McGregor and Nurmagomedov was inevitable. Despite the long downtime, the Irishman still remained with a margin the main MMA star in the world, and his opinion was still reckoned with even in the UFC leadership.

In statements by the head of the promotion, Dana White, phrases repeatedly slipped through, which made it clear how great the influence of the Irishman on the organization was. The functionary stubbornly continued to call Conor among the possible contenders for the battle with Habib, although almost three years have passed since his last triumph in the octagon.

Meanwhile, the Irishman again began to act on the nerves of Habib and his entourage. First, McGregor publicly hinted at returning to the cage, and then arranged a verbal skirmish with Nurmagomedov on social networks a few days before his arrival in Russia. Apparently, the ex-UFC champion expected that in the capital the conflict could erupt with renewed vigor, which would force the Russians to agree to revenge.

Nurmagomedov tried his best to avoid this and left the capital, but could not hide from the harsh words of McGregor. Conor proved that he rightfully bears the title of king of trash-current, and once again hurt his vis-a-vis. So, he repeatedly insulted Nurmagomedov himself, as well as the entire Dagestan people. The Irishman knew that such statements would not go unnoticed by the warring camp, and he turned out to be absolutely right.

First, Dagestan fans of Nurmagomedov reacted to his statements, who had been on duty at the hotel where McGregor stayed for a long time. Then the Irishman almost got a bottle on the head during one of the events. And it is entirely possible that this item was also part of his business plan, and if not, it fit perfectly into it.

But the main success was the fact that his behavior caused a storm of indignation on the part of both Khabib’s teammate Islam Makhachev and the father of champion Abdulmanap. The 15th number of the lightweight rating reminded McGregor of the defeat in October 2018, while Nurmagomedov Sr. suggested that he fight with Makhachev.

“Give Islam Makhachev Conor. I have a plan for what to do with it ... The first round will be downstairs on the ground. The second is a mixed style, and in the third we will beat him in the rack, ”Abdulmanap wrote on his page on the social network Instagram.

Even after the tournament in Abu Dhabi, there was talk of a possible duel between McGregor and Makhachev. In particular, such a battle could be an excellent test for the Irish in anticipation of his possible revenge with Nurmagomedov. A victory would confirm his readiness for a re-battle with the champion, and defeat would make inappropriate subsequent talks about this meeting.

At the same time, Conor himself said that he did not consider Habib's teammate as a possible opponent.

“Abdulmanapu ... I respect your coaching techniques and achievements. But it’s funny for me to consider the water-carrier and nutritionist Islam Makhachev as a rival. I don’t spend sports fighting with tricksters caught on steroids, ”the former UFC champion wrote on Twitter.

However, these words of Conor should not betray special significance. With his insults against Islam, he only fueled interest in their possible duel and once again made an attack on Khabib. He himself, quite likely, understands that such attention from the side of Nurmagomedov’s entourage already says a lot, and his future meeting with Makhachev is quite capable of becoming a key for him to fight with his sworn enemy.

The triumph in the battle with Islam will give Conor a reason to once again hard walk around the entire camp of Habib, and provoke the champion to action. Nurmagomedov will probably want to avenge his friend and make the Irish answer again for his words. And also to achieve another goal - to collect a full house at the stadium in Moscow or St. Petersburg.

The UFC also understands that such a development will benefit the promotion and are unlikely to obstruct this. Despite White’s statements about the Irishman’s deceased status, the leadership recognizes his attractiveness to the public and will do a lot to realize his plans for the revenge.

In addition, it is not worth denying that those statements by White could be part of the far-reaching plan of the Absolute Fighting Championship to hold a duel between McGregor and Nurmagomedov. And if the Irishman takes revenge for the third duel, and, accordingly, crazy earnings, the matter will not.

In this case, predictions regarding the inevitability of the next battle between two outstanding athletes will soon come true. To do this, Conor only needs to continue to act in a similar manner and incapacitate a principled adversary, his relatives and friends.

Nurmagomedov’s team has already demonstrated how close to his heart he takes all the insults of the Irishman, and thereby spurred him to work in the same direction. It is possible that by the beginning of 2020, the tension between the fighters will become so huge that the UFC simply will have no choice but to bring them back into the octagon.

In light of this, it is worth recalling the last words of Nurmagomedov himself about their possible battle. So, if earlier he strongly denied the opportunity to again enter the octagon with McGregor, then in the last month both he and his father began to admit a similar opportunity. Both agreed that the fight with the Irish must necessarily take place in Russia and gather a decent audience.

In particular, the Russian spoke about his readiness to arrange revenge at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg. Moreover, it is rumored that the Russian team has already begun joint work with the UFC to implement the plan.

This goes well with McGregor's wishes, which were voiced during the press conference. The Irishman has repeatedly said that he wants to measure his strength in Russia, noting that the local public deserves it. So he made it clear that he was ready to fight anywhere, and deprived his opponent of space for maneuver. In case of problems in negotiations with Tony Ferguson, it is McGregor who will be considered the first candidate for a meeting with Nurmagomedov.