Khabib Nurmagomedov spoke about the two UFC lightweight title holders.
Shortly after his incredibly one-sided victory over Edson Barboza at UFC 219, Khabib Nurmagomedov spoke about the two title holders at lightweight in Tony Ferguson and Conor McGregor.
“Tony or Conor, don’t matter,” he said during the post-fight press conference. “Maybe if the UFC approves, I can fight with these guys in the same night. I swear, no joke.
“Maybe I have to stay humble, but tonight, I have to smash these guys and get these guys back, because these guys talk too much when I’m injured,” he said. “But when I’m healthy, I don’t see these guys.”
“When I talk like I can fight Tony and Conor on same night, people think I’m only trash talking. Now, if UFC gave me like 30 minutes rest, I can fight one more time.”
He also spoke about the legitimacy of those two championship belts, and with McGregor still not defending the title since he won it over a year ago.
“The real belt is 25-0. Others are all fake belts,” Khabib said in jest, before explaining that he doesn’t think Conor holds the “real” title.
“To be honest, I think Tony Ferguson has the real belt. Conor, he only has one fight in the UFC at lightweight, and he’s champion. He beat Eddie Alvarez.
“He’s a good fighter, but he’s not the champ,” Khabib said about McGregor, “I think a lot of people can beat him at 155. This is my opinion.”
“He has good boxing and good timing. But he doesn’t have wrestling, he doesn’t have grappling, and he doesn’t have conditioning. But he has the belt. This is not about him. The UFC wanted this.”
While McGregor has been largely silent, Ferguson took to social media to respond to both statements.
Don’t Care If The @ufc Approves, I’ll Cut @TheNotoriousMMA … Drop @TeamKhabib & Move Up To Welterweight Either B4 Or After I’m Done w/ This Division & Rid It Of The Trash At The Top. Pollution Has Accumilated Over The Years, Time To Clean House #DefendOrVacate -TheeChamp https://t.co/l6XkH50ZQY
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) December 31, 2017
Like Khabib, Ferguson also had something nice to say about his rival.
Congrats @TeamKhabib On The Fight & On The New Addition To The Family ?? Enjoy The Holidays, See You Soon #TeamTiramisu
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) January 1, 2018