Despite the ongoing talk of a second duel between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, the athletes themselves have refrained from exchanging opinions and mutual insults over recent months. The Russian was preparing for the third title defense in a fight with Tony Ferguson, and the Irishman was considering options for continuing his career after defeating Donald Cerrone. But the last press conference with the participation of top lightweight fighters and the UFC 248 tournament led to another conflict between the two sides.
McGregor in his harsh form reacted to Nurmagomedov’s words about street fights. During the press conference, the Russian said that Ferguson had no idea about the real battles outside the octagon, which outraged the ex-UFC champion in two weight categories. Conor reminded his ex-vis of the events of two years ago in the parking lot of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Then the Irishman, in the company of friends, attacked a bus with the fighters of the championship, which also included a Russian. True, he subsequently deleted this post.
Nurmagomedov could not help but react to this and posted on the social network a frame from their full-time duel at UFC 229. It depicts an episode where the Russian goes to full-mount position and his opponent’s face looks scared and exhausted. However, this was not enough for the Russian. Therefore, in the caption to the photo, he noted that at that moment his opponent allegedly asked for help.
McGregor's wrestling coach Dillon Denis joined in the barbs exchange, and the Irishman “walked” along with Nurmagomedov’s teammate Islam Makhachev, who recklessly stated that MMA is not a female sport. But the main thing in this story remains the fact that former opponents again began to unwind the long-awaited revenge, albeit not very actively. Moreover, this is indicated not only by a short hassle on Twitter, but also by Habib’s statements in the media.
Over the past months, the Russian in every possible way rejected the possibility of organizing a reciprocal duel with the Irish. He repeatedly stated that he was not interested in meeting with McGregor and was ready to do this only if he could win ten victories in a row. Given the regularity of performances by MMA fighters, it could take from two and a half to five years to fulfill this condition, which in the context of the near completion of Nurmagomedov’s career did not look very promising.
It could be assumed that in this way Khabib once again emphasized his reluctance to spend time on revenge with Conor. Given his confident victory in the first battle and, until recently, the opponent’s complete lack of competitive practice, he was entitled to doubt the validity of the Irish claims.
Recently, however, the conditions for a re-engagement between Nurmagomedov and McGregor have changed. According to champion manager Ali Abdel-Aziz, the Russian agreed to re-enter the octagon with McGregor if the Irishman can get the better of Justin Gatji. Thus, the list of necessary “feats” was reduced from ten to two. And this, taking into account his battle with the Cowboy.
Heeeelp pic.twitter.com/f9gv9QeF4Y
- khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) March 8, 2020In this regard, a rematch between Habib and Conor became more possible than ever. If McGregor agrees to this condition and before July manages to face off with Gatzy, then he will have more than enough time to prepare for the title fight. Typically, an athlete needs about three to four months to recover from damage and re-shape. And taking into account the fact that earlier he repeatedly held three fights a year, there should not be any problems with this.
It is worth noting that this schedule is also ideally suited to Nurmagomedov. He himself declared that he would like to enter the cage twice in 2020 and planned the second of them at the end of the year. Even if he deals with Ferguson, Ramadan will still not be able to return before the fall due to the celebration of Ramadan. Habib himself admitted that after the end of the post he needs about 45 days to recover. If we add to this the average duration of the training camp, then his 30th fight in his career will take place no earlier than October.
As for Gatgy, his choice as the last test for McGregor is explainable. Justin currently ranks fourth in the UFC ranking, but is still one of the most dangerous rivals for the Irish, not counting Ferguson. And this is taking into account the second issue in the person of Porrier. Conor had met him before and crushed him in just 106 seconds. Undoubtedly, from that moment, Dustin seriously increased his skill, but still remained a convenient opponent for the Irishman. He specializes in the stand, but in this aspect is seriously inferior to the ex-champion.
Of course, Gatgi is also a pronounced drummer, but at the same time he has a wrestling base and developed "physics". Unlike Porrier, in terms of power, he will surpass McGregor, which will become, if not a key factor, then at least one of its advantages.
Until recently, Justin's serious drawback was his recklessness, as a result of which he takes most of the blows, but recently he has corrected this defect a bit. The American has become more prudent and cold-blooded, but in terms of accuracy is still inferior to the Irish. But even despite this, there is no way to find a more qualified and dangerous opponent for Conor in lightweight.
If McGregor manages to get through Gathey, then between his revenge with Nurmagomedov there will be no visible obstacles. Given recent performances, calling them Dan Hooker or Kevin Lee is extremely reckless, and the transition to the welterweight was unlikely to ever be in the Irish plans.
Apparently, the reason for holding his battle with Cerrone in the division up to 77 kilograms was either his unwillingness to once again engage in racing, or the desire to surprise the audience. Then his decision shocked many and added hype around his return to the cage.
For Nurmagomedov, the second meeting with McGregor will be the perfect end to the next competition year and career. He has already repeatedly mentioned that he intends to hold two to three fights, after which he hangs gloves on a nail. For a second duel with the Irish, he is guaranteed to earn a fabulous fee, which will save him from having to fight. If he wins, he will be able to complete his performances in MMA and get another huge check for a boxing duel with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In the event of a second fight between Nurmagomedov and McGregor, one of the key topics will be the venue. Recently, both the Russian and the Irish managed to support the topic with its organization in Russia. Habib admitted that he did not mind assembling the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, and Conor assured that he was ready to fight in Moscow. But with all the desire of the athletes themselves, such a development of events remains unlikely.
The fact is that one of the main revenue items of UFC is the sale of paid broadcasts, and their lion's share is sold in North America. In Russia, the main tournaments are shown either on federal channels or on paid services, which seriously reduces the level of income. But due to the time difference, some American fans may refuse to watch the show live. An absolute fighting championship is unlikely to decide to risk its target audience and arrange one of the main fights in its history in another country.
At the same time, it is possible that they will consider the idea of holding this show at a large football stadium. This fight is guaranteed to cause great interest from MMA fans, as a result of which the UFC will most likely be able to fill the New York caliber Metlife stadium. So, in 2013, it hosted the main tournament of the year WWE, and more than 80 thousand spectators attended the stands. Of course, in the USA wrestling is one of the most popular entertainments, but in terms of excitement the revenge between Nurmagomedov and McGregor is unlikely to seriously give way to WrestleMania.
The last time the Absolute Fighting Championship held an outdoor tournament in October 2019, Robert Wittaker and Israel Adesanya met in the main battle. Then the show was held at the Marvel Stadium and accommodated more than 57 thousand people. And already in June 2020, the UFC intends to organize a show at the Astana Arena in Nur-Sultan, designed for 30 thousand fans. It is worth recalling that in his main fight Peter Jan and Marlon Moraes will fight.