Cormier on McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov: It’s going to take more than a punch to KO Khabib

Daniel Cormier talks about the potential match-up between teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

Conor McGregor might have one of the best knockout ratios in the sport, but UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who trains alongside the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov, thinks ‘The Notorious’ will have a hard time finishing ‘The Eagle’ with his vaunted left hand.

The fight hasn’t been booked, but many want to see McGregor and Khabib lock horns in the Octagon after Nurmagomedov’s most recent three-round thrashing of Edson Barboza at UFC 219.

Cormier, who trains with Nurmagomedov at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, California, doesn’t think McGregor’s left hand will be enough to take out the feared Dagestani.

McGregor, 29, captured the UFC lightweight title in 2016 but spent most of 2017 engaged in negotiations and trash talk with Floyd Mayweather Jr. The combat sports star eventually fought ‘Money’ in August of last year and was finished in the 10th round.

After participating in one of the biggest fights in combat sports history and earning the biggest paycheck of his career, McGregor, whose only loss under the UFC banner comes to Nate Diaz, has insisted that fighters must lobby for fights with him and called Nurmagomedov’s performance against Barboza ‘dog sh-t’.

The two lightweight standouts have since traded barbs on social media, with Khabib joking that McGregor is scared of defending his title against him.

Nurmagomedov, 29, said in his UFC 219 post-fight interview that he would be willing to fight McGregor and interim champ Tony Ferguson on the same night, and I explained in a recent editorial why the UFC would be wise to take Khabib’s suggestion on board and potentially book a one-night, four-man lightweight tournament featuring McGregor, Nurmagomedov, Ferguson, and Diaz.