Khabib Nurmagomedov believes fighting Conor McGregor in a rematch will not be good for his legacy as he doesn’t see his lightweight rival as a legit contender.
The two UFC stars first met in the main event of UFC 229 in October 2018, when the Russian champion submitted McGregor in the fourth round to defend his lightweight belt.
Following the victory, an ugly post-fight brawl ensued, which resulted to lengthy suspensions and hefty fines for both Nurmagomedov and McGregor.
A potential rematch could be in the line later this year as the Irishman made an emphatic return to the Octagon last month with a 40-second knockout of Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.
UFC president Dana White said the Khabib rematch is the next fight that makes sense for Conor, saying it is the most appealing for global fans.
But if Nurmagomedov were to asked, the rematch will be just a ‘big drama show.’
For Legacy
Khabib gave two reasons why there is strong call for the lightweight rematch- money and drama.
But in terms of putting on a great show, the Russian said it will not be a real championship fight as he is confident McGregor will suffer the same fate as the first meeting.
“I think people want to see us continue what happened last time,” Nurmagomedov told TMZ Sports (transcript from MMA Fighting).
“They just want to see drama. If you ask people, ‘Guys, what do you think, who’s gonna win?’ 99 percent going to say ‘Khabib, like he did first time.’ Just people want to see a big drama show, only for this one.”
“If we talk about money, this is good. If we talk about drama, this is good.”
“If we talk about real lightweight contender or real lightweight championship fight, this is not good. This is not real championship fight. But if we talk about drama and money, of course this is good.”
“But I come here for show, to make my legacy.”
“For my legacy, I have to beat tough opponents like Dustin Poirier, like Iaquinta, like other guys. Right now it’s Tony Ferguson.”
“I have to beat all of them, like real contenders, not fake contenders.”
Tougher Opponent
On April 18, Nurmagomedov will return to the cage as he attempts to defend his title against a very dangerous and streaking Tony Ferguson at the UFC 249 headliner.
And for this match-up, Khabib has to say this: “I think, just my opinion, my last couple of years, I compete with guys like Barboza, dos Anjos, Conor, Poirier, Iaquinta, all of these guys not tough like Tony Ferguson.”
““That’s why now I feel I have real motivation because before when I watched all these opponents I think like, ‘Okay, I can beat this guy.’”
“Of course, I work hard, but right now it’s a very, very tough opponent.”
“That’s why we focus like always, but right now we have more focus, more hard work.”
“Tony is not like these guys. He’s a little bit tougher than all of them.”
Regarded as the biggest MMA fight of the year, the UFC 249 pay-per-view event goes down at the Barclays Center in New York.
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov)