In October of last year, Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his Lightweight title in the UFC against Conor McGregor. The Russian defeated the Irishman in four rounds and retained the belt by submission.
However, even though 11 months have passed since that confrontation, the current champion cannot let go of the rivalry. "It will never end. Never. Even if we see each other somewhere, we will fight, 100%. It doesn't matter if one of us goes to jail or something like that. I'm not scared. They go to the hospital, we go to the police. That's how it is," he said in an interview with ESPN.
On the other hand, the holder of the longest undefeated streak in MMA, with 27 victories, dismissed any interest in a possible rematch with Conor McGregor. "I don't think that can happen. That guy has to come back and have a winning streak of nine or ten fights. Only then we can fight. Maybe people who watch this interview will think 'oh, he thinks that but if the UFC offers millions of dollars to fight Conor, he'll take it'. No. Fight. Come back and show who you are," he added.
"Dana White (UFC president) doesn't need to call me. We talk sometimes, he's a good guy, but he shouldn't talk to me about that crazy fight. I want to fight real men, Dustin Power, Tony Ferguson, or one of the greatest in history, Georges St-Pierre. I want to fight them, I don't want to fight a guy who never wins," he concluded.
Background
The confrontation last October was a scandal. It started beforehand, with different aggressions. On one occasion, the Irishman attacked a bus in which the rival was traveling. Insults were not lacking. Although it is common in this type of fights, the situation was on another level. And it all culminated in a brawl at the end of the fourth round.
Since his defeat against the Russian, Conor McGregor has not entered the octagon. In fact, he announced his retirement. On the other hand, the 30-year-old Russian will return to the ring after the post-conflict suspension at the T-Mobile in Las Vegas. Khabib Nurmagomedov's next fight will be on September 7th in Abu Dhabi, against interim champion Dustin Poirier (USA), in the lightweight category of the UFC.