New UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has a timeline for when he returns but doesn’t care who it’s against.
Khabib Nurmagomedov may want a fight with Conor McGregor, but he’s not interested in waiting around. That’s the gist of a social media message the new UFC lightweight champion posted on Instagram Sunday afternoon.
”Lightweight division is the most competitive division in UFC,” Khabib wrote. “At this moment, atmosphere is very heated: there is Conor and Tony, Porier, Lee and Alvarez, all of them are good. Fight with any of these guys would be very interesting and competitive. I never choose opponent, fought with any fighter who was offered me to fight, and I’m not going to change that.”
”I’m coming back November – December to defend my belt,” he finished. “Whoever UFC decide to fight me with, I’ll sign.”
In an age where lots of champions are trying to matchmake themselves favorably for money fights or to avoid tougher opponents, Nurmagomedov’s declaration is sure to be popular.
And who knows who he could actually end up facing? McGregor is obviously the biggest, best fight. But his status with the UFC since his UFC 223 bus fiasco is still in question, plus he’s got his own potential ridiculous sideshows like a Floyd Mayweather MMA match to consider. November to December sounds like enough time for Tony Ferguson to come back, but is the UFC even interested in trying to make that cursed match happen any more?
But thank the MMA Gods, Nurmagomedov is willing to go down the list and consider Dustin Poirier, Kevin Lee, and Eddie Alvarez. Any and all of those options sounds good, and Khabib proved at UFC 223 that he’s willing to step up and face anyone. It’s a nice change, and exactly what you want out of a UFC champion.