A man can’t have two primes – Khabib says McGregor will never bounce back

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Conor McGregor may already be past his prime, according to Khabib Nurmagomedov. In a span of eight years, Conor McGregor went from being a knockout artist on the fast track to global supe…


UFC 257: Poirier v McGregor
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Conor McGregor may already be past his prime, according to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

In a span of eight years, Conor McGregor went from being a knockout artist on the fast track to global superstardom, to losing two of his last three fights. His last outing at UFC 257 last month against Dustin Poirier ended in a second-round knockout loss, a first in his career.

“The Notorious” already promised to come back strong from the loss as the UFC prepares for a trilogy bout with “The Diamond” in May. But for Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 32-year-old Irishman may never bounce back again.

“Never. There is no way that a man can be at the peak for two times,” Khabib said in a recent sitdown with ACA light heavyweight Magomed Ismailov.

“The Eagle” later clarified his statement, saying it’s par for the course for any top-level competitor to eventually be past their prime.

“I’m not talking about him. What I mean is, a man cannot have two primes,” he said. “A team could do it. For example, Real Madrid did this a few times in a row. Teams may have this. But we’re talking about us, and one man on his own cannot have this.”

In the same interview, Khabib also stated that would-be rival Tony Ferguson was never an “elite lightweight.”