Arch-rivals, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov were mere seconds removed from a possible lobby encounter at the UFC fighter hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE this week ahead of the promotion’s UFC 257 pay-per-view event on Saturday.
McGregor, who is slated to headline the promotion’s return to its flagship showcase for 2021, takes on former featherweight opponent, Dustin Poirier in a pivotal lightweight main event with possible title implications on the line for the victor.
Returning to the scene of his most recent Octagon success, recently retired UFC lightweight champion, Nurmagomedov recently met with promotional head-honcho, Dana White before a UAE Warriors event, discussing his immediate fighting future following his much-speculated October retirement.
Nurmagomedov explained as per White, how he’s been impressed with the recent surge of the promotion’s most prolific submission threat, Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira, as well as claiming that if he witnessed “something spectacular“ from either the co-main event of UFC 257 which contains Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler or the headliner of Poirier and McGregor, he may be enticed to snap his retirement.
Arriving at the fighter hotel in a convoy of a Cadillac Escalade and a Rolls Royce, McGregor along with his partner and two children made their way through the lobby of the hotel before he was introduced to his room.
In footage posted by former UFC welterweight title challenger and colour-commentator, Dan Hardy’s Full Reptile outlet, footage shows Nurmagomedov make his way through the same lobby as McGregor, mere seconds apart as he interrupts an interview between The Schmo, and Matt Serra to discuss a potential matchup with Georges St-Pierre.
For good reason, Dana White had addressed earlier this week that precautionary infrastructure had been put in place in order to try and prevent a path crossing of McGregor and Nurmagomedov.
The two arch-enemies first clashed in a bad-blooded UFC 229 title matchup in October of 2018, which eventually spilt over into a post-fight brawl between both corners and combatants following Nurmagomedov’s neck crank win.
McGregor had infamously along with an entourage stormed the Barclays Centre parking lot back in April of that year, confronting Nurmagomedov on a bus containing red-corner fighters, throwing a dolly at a bus window, shattering it.
Continuously campaigning for a re-run with the undefeated sambo-specialist, McGregor’s efforts have so far proved fruitless, however, given Nurmagomedov’s recent claims, an eye-catching performance against someone of Poirier’s ilk may be enough for the latter to warrant McGregor a rematch.
McGregor is slated to feature at a press conference alongside Poirier, Hooker, and Chandler on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, while White also detailed that Nurmagomedov is expected to fly to Las Vegas on Thursday after he completes his cornering duties for his cousin, Umar on Wednesday night in his bout with Sergey Morozov.