Conor McGregor owns a statistic which makes Khabib Nurmagomedov very sceptical regarding his chances of challenging the champion to his lightweight title.
Nurmagomedov has a chance to make a quarter of a century in MMA wins (25-0) in addition to taking the lightweight interim title in March’s co-main event of UFC 209. With this title in hand, the Sambo master cannot be ignored by the UFC superstar, right? Things may not be so easy, according to The Dagestani. McGregor has no intention of defending the gold strap, and one can only look to his past to see that he never has, says Nurmagomedov:
“He never defends his belts. He never [defended] his Cage Warriors belts, never defended his featherweight belt, and now UFC lightweight, I don’t think is different. But he has to defend”.
“We’ll see. I don’t think about this too much. I think about Tony and March 4. This is the biggest fight in my life.”
The Irish UFC champion is on a much publicized hiatus, as he looks forward to the birth of mini-McGregor later this year. When the lightweight champion does eventually return, he has serious business to contend with, in a division stacked with a number of suitors for his belt. That is, of course, if rumors regarding a superfight with Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao (however unlikely) do not materialize.
Will we see McGregor chase the welterweight title, or is it time for the UFC global phenom to defend a title?
Conor McGregor owns a statistic which makes Khabib Nurmagomedov very sceptical regarding his chances of challenging the champion to his lightweight title.
Nurmagomedov has a chance to make a quarter of a century in MMA wins (25-0) in addition to taking the lightweight interim title in March’s co-main event of UFC 209. With this title in hand, the Sambo master cannot be ignored by the UFC superstar, right? Things may not be so easy, according to The Dagestani. McGregor has no intention of defending the gold strap, and one can only look to his past to see that he never has, says Nurmagomedov:
“He never defends his belts. He never [defended] his Cage Warriors belts, never defended his featherweight belt, and now UFC lightweight, I don’t think is different. But he has to defend”.
“We’ll see. I don’t think about this too much. I think about Tony and March 4. This is the biggest fight in my life.”
The Irish UFC champion is on a much publicized hiatus, as he looks forward to the birth of mini-McGregor later this year. When the lightweight champion does eventually return, he has serious business to contend with, in a division stacked with a number of suitors for his belt. That is, of course, if rumors regarding a superfight with Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao (however unlikely) do not materialize.
Will we see McGregor chase the welterweight title, or is it time for the UFC global phenom to defend a title?
UFC 209 goes down on March 4 in Las Vegas, and has steadily built up with talent in recent weeks. Featuring a highly anticipated welterweight title rematch, the card also showcases the top lightweight contenders. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson collide for the interim lightweight belt in the UFC 209 co-main event. Following an uncertain
UFC 209 goes down on March 4 in Las Vegas, and has steadily built up with talent in recent weeks. Featuring a highly anticipated welterweight title rematch, the card also showcases the top lightweight contenders. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson collide for the interim lightweight belt in the UFC 209 co-main event. Following an uncertain period where Ferguson experienced contract issues, the fight we’ve wanted for a long time was finally made official. Since the champion Conor McGregor is absent, the junior belt is made available.
Both Ferguson and Nurmagomedov’s current form is impeccable. Between them they are unbeaten in 17 UFC contests, ‘The Eagle’ has not lost a single fight during his entire career.
Media Scrum
During an eventful UFC 209 media scrum, Nurmagomedov and ‘El Cucuy’ both had a common subject to discuss. Conor McGregor was the hot topic, and here’s what the UFC 209 co-main event stars had to say:
Khabib:
“After I win the belt from Conor McGregor, the UFC will probably try to give him a rematch. I will say no, bye bye, time for me to fight some real contenders. McGregor did not fight the top lightweights. He lost to Diaz, who is top 10 or 15, then he had a very close rematch. Then he beat Eddie Alvarez, he is what, 2-2 in the UFC? He didn’t fight Khabib, Tony, Barboza, Chiesa or any top lightweights. If he goes to welterweight or boxing, I don’t care.”
Check out the UFC 209 staredowns from MMAWeekly.com, followed by ‘El Cucuy’s’ damning statement on McGregor:
Ferguson’s Two Cents
“I have nine fights in a row win streak. Khabib has eight fights in a row. This is the first time you guys are ever gonna see this inside the octagon. This is for an interim title. It should be for the real shit. Am I a little pissed about it? Yeah. Is Conor gonna defend his belt, that little bitch? Probably not. He’s gonna run. Go ahead. Go run, try to box. You’ll get your ass kicked too. And when you’re ready to come back, they’re gonna strip your belt and at 155, I’m gonna be holding it and you’re gonna be like, ‘Oh I want my belt back’ and this and that. I don’t give a shit. The fight, the real fight, is between Conor? No. Conor, sorry buddy. The fight’s between Khabib and Ferguson.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson will go head to head in a likely eliminator for a shot at Conor McGregor’s lightweight belt.
The UFC 209 fight card features two much anticipated title fights, in what will be the first of the UFC’s elite nights of 2017.
The main event sees welterweight champion Tyron Woodley go head to head with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in their second bout to determine the king of the 170 pound division. Both men battled to a draw at UFC 205 in November of 2016, but chances of another stalemate (Woodley retaining his belt by majority draw decision) are slim.
UFC 209’s lightweight, co-headline match up between #1 ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov and #2 Tony Ferguson is just about as anticipated as a fight can get. Two of the world’s greatest MMA fighters will enter the octagon in a bid to capture the interim UFC lightweight title. with a view to facing the champion on-hiatus [Conor McGregor].
Khabib Nurmagomedov posted a video his Instagram page on Thursday, showing the full intensity of his staredown with his streaking, 155 pound opponent.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPdYyQajEp0/
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson will go head to head in a likely eliminator for a shot at Conor McGregor’s lightweight belt.
The UFC 209 fight card features two much anticipated title fights, in what will be the first of the UFC’s elite nights of 2017.
The main event sees welterweight champion Tyron Woodley go head to head with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in their second bout to determine the king of the 170 pound division. Both men battled to a draw at UFC 205 in November of 2016, but chances of another stalemate (Woodley retaining his belt by majority draw decision) are slim.
UFC 209’s lightweight, co-headline match up between #1 ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov and #2 Tony Ferguson is just about as anticipated as a fight can get. Two of the world’s greatest MMA fighters will enter the octagon in a bid to capture the interim UFC lightweight title. with a view to facing the champion on-hiatus [Conor McGregor].
Khabib Nurmagomedov posted a video his Instagram page on Thursday, showing the full intensity of his staredown with his streaking, 155 pound opponent.
The trash talking between No. 2 ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight Tony Ferguson and No. 1 ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov hasn’t ceased. The two finally agreed to a bout at UFC 209 in what should surely be a title eliminator. The winner is expected to meet Conor McGregor in a unification bout later this year.
“El Cucuy” was involved in a brief contract impasse with the UFC. Ferguson felt he had outperformed his contract. He recently appeared on MMAJunkie Radio and explained his decision to sign the bout agreement to fight “The Eagle:”
“They met my standards. Khabib’s offer, I threw right out the window immediately. That was some trashy kind of thing. But we’re good to go. We’re full swing ahead. … We worked out financial terms. I’ve earned my stripes in this division. I’ve put in my time. I’ve put in my work. I’ve put in my effort, especially when no fans were watching when I didn’t have cameras on me.”
Right now, the betting odds are favoring Nurmagomedov. Ferguson isn’t exactly heartbroken by this fact and said as long has he has confidence in his abilities, that’s all that matter.
“I don’t need anybody to believe in me besides myself, because every single day I go in there and I beat myself up that was so I can go out there and I can kick some ass. I know what I’m worth and I know my numbers, and that dude’s padded record is nowhere near my contention, my type of fights that I’ve had and presented to the world.”
The main event of UFC 209 will feature a welterweight title rematch between the champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson. The event takes place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 4.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfeXQcs4IeU
The trash talking between No. 2 ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight Tony Ferguson and No. 1 ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov hasn’t ceased. The two finally agreed to a bout at UFC 209 in what should surely be a title eliminator. The winner is expected to meet Conor McGregor in a unification bout later this year.
“El Cucuy” was involved in a brief contract impasse with the UFC. Ferguson felt he had outperformed his contract. He recently appeared on MMAJunkie Radio and explained his decision to sign the bout agreement to fight “The Eagle:”
“They met my standards. Khabib’s offer, I threw right out the window immediately. That was some trashy kind of thing. But we’re good to go. We’re full swing ahead. … We worked out financial terms. I’ve earned my stripes in this division. I’ve put in my time. I’ve put in my work. I’ve put in my effort, especially when no fans were watching when I didn’t have cameras on me.”
Right now, the betting odds are favoring Nurmagomedov. Ferguson isn’t exactly heartbroken by this fact and said as long has he has confidence in his abilities, that’s all that matter.
“I don’t need anybody to believe in me besides myself, because every single day I go in there and I beat myself up that was so I can go out there and I can kick some ass. I know what I’m worth and I know my numbers, and that dude’s padded record is nowhere near my contention, my type of fights that I’ve had and presented to the world.”
The main event of UFC 209 will feature a welterweight title rematch between the champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson. The event takes place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 4.
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor hasn’t competed since winning the 155-pound strap with a brutal second round TKO victory over Eddie Alvarez at this past November’s UFC 205 from New York. The Irishman is currently awaiting the birth of his first child, which could keep him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. While McGregor’s
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor hasn’t competed since winning the 155-pound strap with a brutal second round TKO victory over Eddie Alvarez at this past November’s UFC 205 from New York. The Irishman is currently awaiting the birth of his first child, which could keep him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
While McGregor’s name is constantly linked to a potential boxing match with Floyd Mayweather in the media, a more likely return fight for him would be a title fight against the winner of March 4’s interim lightweight title fight between top contenders Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
Nurmagomedov and McGregor have seemed to stir up a bit of a rivalry in recent months, and many feel as if “The Eagle” would present problems for the “Notorious” one given his decorated wrestling background. McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis, however, feels as if Nurmagomedov is ‘too easily hit’:
“He’s too easily hit,” Danis told Submission Radio about Nurmagomedov. “If you saw in the Michael Johnson fight, he was getting like wobbled and rocked every time they were on the feet. So Conor is going to pick him apart like he does all the wrestlers.”
With that being said, the outspoken Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion feels as if McGregor would finish Nurmagomedov in ‘one or two rounds’ if the two were to eventually meet in the Octagon:
“He hits you from everywhere and he kicks you in the stomach,” Danis continued. “And people don’t see those shots on TV, like some of those teep kicks and some of the kicks to the stomach, but those take the wind out of you. And when you basically have to take someone down, it puts a different kind of feeling in your stomach ad in your gut when you have to take the guy down. The guy’s beating you up on the feet, and when you go to the ground he’s elbowing you. So I think Conor puts him away in probably one or two rounds with strikes.”
McGregor’s striking is clearly his bread and butter and he’s proven that it’s amongst the best in the sport today, but many have and likely will continue to question his grappling skills. Danis, however, isn’t worried about Nurmagomedov’s relentless takedown attempts:
“What happened to Eddie doing that though? That’s what people said that Eddie was gonna do that and then he couldn’t even come close to taking Conor down. Nate couldn’t come close to taking Conor down. They all think they’re going to do something until they get in there. I train with the guy every day when I’m out there in Ireland, so I know what he’s capable of, and that’s definitely not going to happen.”
McGregor’s fighting future is almost always unclear and Nurmagomedov will need to get by Ferguson in March, but would you like to see these two 155 pounders do battle later this year?
The UFC heavyweight’s tweet to Dana White provokes questions over the recent growth in the introduction of interim belts.
When all else fails, introduce an interim title to the mix. Not the words of the UFC top brass, although in the past couple of months we have seen the introduction of a secondary belt to the featherweight and lightweight divisions in times of promotional crisis, and the absence of a champion [McGregor].
The decision drew criticism from some, who felt that it was a weak effort on behalf of the promotion to make the PPV event worthwhile. Conor McGregor was simultaneously stripped of (or voluntarily relinquished) his 145 pound strap, with the winner of the Holloway/Pettis strap facing [new champion] Jose Aldo for the “real” title. From the promotions perspective, selling the fight as a title eliminator would not have held as much weight without a physical belt, given the UFC’s track record for reneging on title-shot promises.
While fans and associates of Conor McGregor were among the first to ridicule the introduction of the belt, McGregor himself was not averse to hoisting the interim gold over his head in his win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189. These belts arguably grant the victor with an elevation on their stock, but to many fans they are somewhat worthless in the grand scheme.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson was made official for UFC 209 this week, in a fight spiced up (once again) by an interim belt. McGregor is likely out of action until the end of the year, so the possibility of the winner between the Russian and the American having to defend (and possibly lose – confirmation, Dana?) the title of Interim Champion makes for even more confusion.
What makes this scenario unique, however, is that both guys are solidly in the #1 & #2 spots in the lightweight rankings, so the result should logically determine the challenger to the Irishman’s strap, right? Tyron Woodley v Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a title fight on the ‘209 card, so it is not as though the UFC are in a similar position to the Holloway v Pettis situation.
UFC’s Ben Rothwell sent a cheeky tweet to UFC president Dana White on Friday, appearing to poke fun at the President for this recent rise in interim belts:
One may argue that the new owners of the world’s chief MMA promotion are responsible for the rise in secondary titles, and being a business with finance at the forefront of its operations, it is a valid argument. Conjecture of motives aside, the introduction of a litany of belts has led to a series of mismatches, and a ton of promotional disputes in boxing – let us hope that the UFC are not planning on adopting a similar model of throwing a belt into the mix in just any fight.
The UFC heavyweight’s tweet to Dana White provokes questions over the recent growth in the introduction of interim belts.
When all else fails, introduce an interim title to the mix. Not the words of the UFC top brass, although in the past couple of months we have seen the introduction of a secondary belt to the featherweight and lightweight divisions in times of promotional crisis, and the absence of a champion [McGregor].
The decision drew criticism from some, who felt that it was a weak effort on behalf of the promotion to make the PPV event worthwhile. Conor McGregor was simultaneously stripped of (or voluntarily relinquished) his 145 pound strap, with the winner of the Holloway/Pettis strap facing [new champion] Jose Aldo for the “real” title. From the promotions perspective, selling the fight as a title eliminator would not have held as much weight without a physical belt, given the UFC’s track record for reneging on title-shot promises.
While fans and associates of Conor McGregor were among the first to ridicule the introduction of the belt, McGregor himself was not averse to hoisting the interim gold over his head in his win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189. These belts arguably grant the victor with an elevation on their stock, but to many fans they are somewhat worthless in the grand scheme.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson was made official for UFC 209 this week, in a fight spiced up (once again) by an interim belt. McGregor is likely out of action until the end of the year, so the possibility of the winner between the Russian and the American having to defend (and possibly lose – confirmation, Dana?) the title of Interim Champion makes for even more confusion.
What makes this scenario unique, however, is that both guys are solidly in the #1 & #2 spots in the lightweight rankings, so the result should logically determine the challenger to the Irishman’s strap, right? Tyron Woodley v Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a title fight on the ‘209 card, so it is not as though the UFC are in a similar position to the Holloway v Pettis situation.
UFC’s Ben Rothwell sent a cheeky tweet to UFC president Dana White on Friday, appearing to poke fun at the President for this recent rise in interim belts:
Dear @danawhite, there must be an interim title at stake between McGregor&Mayweather,otherwise I just don't find it interesting enough.Thanx
One may argue that the new owners of the world’s chief MMA promotion are responsible for the rise in secondary titles, and being a business with finance at the forefront of its operations, it is a valid argument. Conjecture of motives aside, the introduction of a litany of belts has led to a series of mismatches, and a ton of promotional disputes in boxing – let us hope that the UFC are not planning on adopting a similar model of throwing a belt into the mix in just any fight.
