Yesterday (Fri., March 31, 2017) top-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov made what many felt was a bit of a lofty request when his manager said he was looking to return to a title shot in August or September.
The undefeated mat technician has long been touted as the clear future of the storied UFC 155-pound division, but that status became incredibly murky when he was forced to withdraw from is awaited interim title bout with Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 due to health issues from cutting weight. And with injuries limiting him to only two bouts since April 2014, ‘The Eagle’ is one of the most unpredictable fighters in MMA, even if he is may also be one of the most dangerous athletes.
Set to take his traditional holy month of Ramadan off to fast, Nurmagomedov is in a tricky spot in terms of his career. He’s long called for a fight with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, yet many, including octagon commentator Joe Rogan, think it doesn’t seem like that fight will become a reality anytime soon.
There is always the issue of his health and if he can actually make 155 pounds any longer, and that’s not even taking into a ccount the fact that McGregor could be out of MMA for an unforeseen period of time to finalize his negotiations with boxer Floyd Mayweather on their seemingly pproaching super fight. So that means Khabib’s most likely path to a title shot in his return fight would be against Ferguson, who’s expressed interest in signing it again even though it has fallen apart thrice.
What do you think? Does Khabib deserve to return right into an immediate title shot, or has he become too unreliable?
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