Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov made a bold statement earlier today regarding his UFC interim lightweight title bout with Tony Ferguson this weekend (Sat. March 4, 2017) at UFC 209.

‘The Eagle’ joined MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani earlier today (Mon. February 27, 2017) on The MMA Hour to discuss his co-main event title bout this weekend, which he believes is the biggest fight in the history of the UFC’s 155-pound division:

“A lot of people are gonna watch this fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “My fanbase is huge. This is very big fight. In my opinion, this is the greatest lightweight fight ever in the UFC.”

Current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor is on a hiatus from the Octagon to enjoy the birth of his first child. Meanwhile, he is also attempting to land a massive superfight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. inside the boxing ring.

Despite the fact the McGregor believes the next time he competes in combat sports it will be inside of a boxing ring, UFC President Dana White has other plans. During a recent TMZ interview White stated that he believes McGregor’s next fight will be against the Ferguson – Nurmagomedov winner, but ‘The Eagle’ couldn’t care less:

“Nobody knows what happened,” Nurmagomedov said. “Maybe they’re gonna make money match, like money fight. … I am focused on Tony. I don’t think about that other thing.”

Both ‘El Cucuy’ and the Sambo specialist exchanged barbs on a recent UFC 209 media call, where Nurmagomedov claims to have gotten the feeling that Ferguson is scared to take him on come fight night:

“I feel like Tony is a little bit nervous, like all of my opponents,” Nurmagomedov said. “But for me, it’s fun. I enjoy this. I talk with him, I enjoy a little bit joke with him, make him nervous.

“Now, everything has changed. the talk is finished. We’re here. We’re in Vegas. It’s five days before the fight. Fight week. I can’t wait for the cage to close.”

Throughout his dominant career Nurmagomedov has enjoyed flying under the radar without having the platform of a champion and the media attention that comes with it, but that could all change if he emerges victorious this weekend in Vegas:

“Now UFC gonna try to make my name big,” Nurmagomedov said. … “Now, I understand.”

“I worry about famous,” he said. “Of course I want the belt, but I understand with belts coming crazy attention. To be honest, I worry about this, because I like when people don’t know me. When all the time people coming, talking about fights, taking about fights, fights or talking about MMA. I can talk with people in other stuff, not only MMA. But sometime, I’m tired about this. But I understand. MMA is like crazy now. This is not like five years ago, 10 years ago. Now MMA is like one of the biggest sports in the world. I think after this fight it’s gonna change a lot of stuff.”

The post Khabib Nurmagomedov Makes Bold Claim Ahead Of UFC 209 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father will not be in attendance to root on his son at UFC 209.

According to a report from Russian news outlet Life.ru, ‘The Eagle’s’ father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, has been denied a visa into the United States of America to attend his son’s UFC 209 pay-per-view (PPV) lightweight title match-up against Tony Ferguson. Nurmagomedov has made plenty of trips over to the U.S. before, making his current situation a bit of a head scratcher.

Despite not being able to watch his son’s title bout live in Las Vegas, Nurmagomedov stated he will still be watching from the mountains on his phone (quotes via Bloody Elbow):

“The Embassy of course knows everything but they have no right to tell us about the real reasons for the denial,” Abdulmanap explained. “Hopefully, in the future, we will be able to fly back to the United States.”

“In any case, I would not miss [the fight]!” Abdulmanap added. “If needed, I would watch on my phone high in the mountains.”

‘The Eagle’ is undefeated in his dominant mixed martial arts (MMA) career with a record of 24-0. He will co-main event UFC 209 against Tony Ferguson, who rides an impressive nine-fight win streak at 155 pounds, for the interim lightweight title.

The winner of the bout is expected to welcome UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor back to the Octagon at the conclusion of his hiatus in order to unify the two titles. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson will throw down live this Saturday (March 4, 2017).

The post Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Father Denied U.S. Visa For UFC 209 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.