It’s no secret that the UFC would like to book a rematch between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor next.
McGregor made his return to Octagon action last month when he took out Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in 40 seconds in their welterweight UFC 246 pay-per-view (PPV) headliner. As for Nurmagomedov, he remains undefeated with a record of 28-0, but is preparing to defend his title against, arguably, the toughest test of his career against Tony Ferguson.
Nurmagomedov and Ferguson headline the UFC 249 PPV from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on April 18. Should Nurmagomedov get past Ferguson, the UFC will likely be pushing hard for a Khabib and McGregor rematch. Speaking to TMZ Sports, UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones was asked for his prediction on a potential rematch.
Jones says McGregor certainly has a chance to win, but if he were putting money down, he’d bet on the Russian champ.
“Can Conor McGregor – yeah, I typically don’t go against wrestlers, if you’re asking me as a betting man,” Jones said. “Wrestlers have the power to dictate where the fight goes, whether it’s going to be a standing match or whether he’s going to take it to the ground and make it a jiu-jitsu match, I think the cards are always kind of in Khabib’s hands. But Conor definitely has a chance, but if I were to put my money on it, I’m definitely going with Khabib, for sure.”
As for Jones, he could be looking at a rematch of his own down the road. “Bones” successfully retained his 205-pound title against Dominick Reyes in the UFC 247 PPV main event this past weekend. However, there was a lot of controversy surrounding how the fight was scored, with many believing Reyes was robbed of the decision. It will be interesting to see if the UFC decides to book an immediate rematch given the blowback.
What do you make of Jones’ prediction for a Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor rematch?