For those wondering if Conor McGregor will ever fight in the octagon again after his lucrative boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on August 26, Dana White wants you to know he’s got a big one planned.
The UFC President, who’s become more well-known for telling the press statements that are soon proven false – or denying something that soon comes true – than anything else, recently discussed McGregor’s pending return with MMA Junkie’s John Morgan:
In the interview, White insisted that top-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, who have seen a scheduled match-up fall apart three times now, will still have to fight at some point.
And apparently they’re picking Khabib to win despite his horrific track record of showing up to fight as of late, as White revealed McGregor wants Nurmagomedov in his native Russia in his next fight after Mayweather:
“You know what Conor told me? He said, ‘I want Khabib in Russia,’” White told MMAjunkie on Wednesday at UFC headquarters. “Isn’t he (expletive) awesome? He’s like, ‘I want Khabib, in Russia.’ He’s awesome. Conor McGregor is a (expletive) unicorn. There’s nothing like him. He’s working on boxing Floyd Mayweather and then he’s talking about fighting Khabib in Russia right after.”
There’s no set timeline for the two to fight, but White put a positive twist on the fact that Nurmagomedov was unable to show up to their scheduled UFC 209 meeting in March due to a failed weight cut, noting that keeping the lightweight division on standby would have been messier than it is now:
“Those guys (have) got to fight,” White said. “It would have seemed a lot worse if those two guys fought (at UFC 209), and they were all sitting around waiting. It didn’t happen. That fight still needs to happen. So this thing could time out perfectly.”
Perfectly’s a rather optimistic point of view, as Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson would have to go off without a hitch, probably sometime in the late fall due to Khabib’s religious obligations, and McGregor would then have to decide he’s willing to fight in Russia for his first-ever UFC title defense.
While it would no doubt be a huge bout that MMA fans would clamor to see, it’s far from set in stone that McGregor is even going to fight in the octagon again, and he’s often called the touted but inconsistent Dagestani grappler a “pullout merchant” for his constant struggle with injuries. There’s also the issue of Nate Diaz, who could certainly make a case for a lucrative third fight with “The Notorious” – this time for the belt.
But that’s predictably not going to stop White from gushing about his biggest star even though he seems to look for the biggest payday rather than ever defending his titles. White thinks his top draw is absolutely amazing, and that’s a problem that much of the UFC roster has claimed plagues the UFC in a major way as mid-to-lower-level fighters get thrown by the wayside with little promotion and low pay.
Clearly, that doesn’t matter as long as he has his beloved McGregor, however:
“Those are the kind of things that make that kid a (expletive) superstar,” White said. “I’ve got guys telling me, ‘I don’t want to (expletive) – I don’t want to fight this guy, and I don’t want to do this.’ (Conor says), ‘I want Floyd Mayweather then I want (expletive) Khabib in Russia.’ How do you not love him? How do you not love Conor McGregor? Amazing.”
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