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If Dana White’s claims prove to be true, Conor McGregor is not getting Khabib Nurmagomedov next, as Tony Ferguson will likely be the next man to try and solve the puzzle that is the current Lightweight champion of the world.
But a do-over between Khabib and Conor may likely happen down the line, as their first fight at UFC 229 — which Khabib won via rear-naked choke last October — was the biggest selling pay-per-view (PPV) ever for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
So with the added beef between the two men stemming from the now-infamous post-fight brawl, one would assume the rematch would do just as good, if not better.
And if it happens to go down in Khabib’s homeland of Russia, it would be that much sweeter. And that is just what Team Nurmagomedov is gunning for as Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s dad, recently explained.
“If McGregor wants it, then Moscow is waiting for him,” he said on YouTube channel ‘Zhivina100’ (translation via RT Sport). “He said once that he has more fans here than Khabib. We want to host him in Moscow, he is welcome – we are waiting.”
That said, the eldest Nurmagomedov agreed that Tony is up next, but it’s a fight that won’t happen until the first quarter of 2020.
“But before McGregor we should finish our business with Ferguson,” Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov admitted.” Because he had 28 fights, and runs a 12-fight winning streak in the UFC, just like Khabib. Such winning streaks and such big fights have never happened in the UFC,” he added.
“So I think Madison Square Garden is a good place for this fight, but we won’t fight earlier than March.”
Should that timeline prove accurate, it would leave Conor no other choice but to take another fight in the interim, or risk waiting for another possible eight to nine months to see if a fight against Khabib is doable.
One thing is certain, Conor is willing to travel all the way to Russia to get his revenge. And it could also be Khabib’s last fight, as well.