Mac-Happy Smith Shut Down By Khabib

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UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov may have become the first athlete in history to leave ESPN loudmouth Stephen A. Smith at a loss for words. But I guess that’s what hap…

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Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov may have become the first athlete in history to leave ESPN loudmouth Stephen A. Smith at a loss for words. But I guess that’s what happens when you try to talk “shit.”

Which appears to be Eagle-speak for Conor McGregor.

“A lot of times, particularly in the fight game, you talk about giving the people what they want to see,” Smith said during “First Take” on ESPN. “One of the things I said last week talking about you, sir, was that you really don’t want to fight somebody like Conor McGregor again, primarily because you don’t like him and you think fighting him again gives him attention that you don’t believe he deserves. How accurate is that?”

“Right now, I don’t even want to talk about this shit,” Nurmagomedov fired back, which is not surprising when you consider the undefeated champion handily disposed of “Notorious” (despite this claim) but remains bludgeoned by inquiries about rematching the Irish superstar.

Smith had no follow-up questions regarding the UFC 254 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, where “The Eagle” will fly against interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. The action takes place this Sat. (Oct. 24, 2020) inside Flash Forum on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 254 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN 2/ESPN+ at 12 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 254: “Khabib vs. Gaethje” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. To see the complete UFC 254 fight card and lineup click here.