Khabib Nurmagomedov on Conor McGregor: I’m going to destroy him
Though nothing is official just yet, all signs point to UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov fighting former two-division champion Conor McGregor sometime later this year — perhaps even at UFC 229 on October 6.
Speaking to Sport24.ru this week, Nurmagomedov discussed this possible matchup. Apparently, he’s worried about McGregor bailing on the bout.
”I do not yet know who my opponent will be,” Nurmagomedov said (translation via Karim Zidan of BloodyElbow). “The fight will likely take place in Las Vegas. I want to fight McGregor; the fans are also waiting for this fight. I hope that Conor wants this fight. He talked a lot but for some reason, as soon as it came down to real negotiations about the fight, he fell silent.”
If the fight does happen, of course Nurmagomedov expects to win and win decisively.
“In what round will I be able to knock McGregor out? I do not know, and no one can know this,” he said. “I’m going to destroy him.”
While Nurmagomedov claims McGregor has fallen silent in the negotiations for their potential showdown, McGregor’s coach Owen Roddy recently suggested that the fight was “brewing up nicely.”
“I can’t confirm anything,” Roddy told MMANytt‘s Jim Edwards. “It would be great to get Conor back. He’s training hard, he’s always training. He’s motivated and he wants to fight. It’s just that he needs to get a few things sorted out, then he can sit down and negotiate a good deal for his next fight.
“I’m sure it’s just down to negotiations, but yeah, I think it is building,” he added. “This started similarly with the [Floyd] Mayweather fight; there was talk, there was a bit of back and forth and a bit of drama. Once the crowd and the fans get behind it, they ultimately make the fight. It’s brewing up nicely.”
Do you think we’ll ever see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor fight?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/19/2018.
Topics:
Conor McGregor Khabib Nurmagomedov
