When it comes to rivalries in the UFC, there are none bigger than Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov. The culmination of years of back and forth resulted in the most successful PPV of all time at UFC 229. The build up to the fight between the two and events that followed after the fight was extremely dark to say the least, which also featured Islam Makhachev. Securing the win over McGregor was huge for Nurmagomedov as it resulted in his biggest payday and it also made him a superstar in the UFC.
While Nurmagomedov is no longer a part of the sport, his protege Makhachev is still very much active. In a recent interview, head coach Javier Mendes was asked about his thoughts on a potential fight between McGregor and Makhachev. He shared his thoughts on the fight saying it would not be a legacy fight like it was for ‘The Eagle. In the interview he said,
“Well I see that as a fight that could be interesting for Islam because he gets to do what Khabib did not finish. He gets to come back and get on the same journey as Khabib did. It is a great payday for Islam. I think it is great if Islam wants it, if he does not, then going to the welterweight title is more appealing to him to create a legacy he wants. Cause beating Conor is not going to create the kind of legacy that Islam wants.” (11:56 to 12:24)
Mendes mentioned how the fight against McGregor would be a big payday for the Dagestani lightweight. But he also added that Makhachev fighting for the welterweight title looked more appealing to him.
In a recent interview Makhachev mentioned how he would be open for a fight against the Irishman. However he mentioned that ‘The Notorious’ must prove himself by defeating top contenders for the fight to happen.
Conor McGregor not an appealing fight for Islam Makhachev?
When Conor McGregor faced ‘The Eagle’ he had just beaten Eddie Alvarez and made a statement. He went into the fight with many people believing he had the striking to knock out ‘The Eagle’.
However, the circumstances are a lot different now. McGregor has not won a fight since 2020 and has lost three of his last four fights as well. For most fans as well as pundits, McGregor is past his prime and he will be coming into the fight on the back of a long lay off.
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As Mendes quoted, Nurmagomedov has already defeated McGregor before. If Makhachev has to take the Dagestani legacy forward he must do something ‘The Eagle’ did not do. And becoming a UFC double champion will definitely help to accomplish the goal.
Conor McGregor’s return is highly anticipated and fans are speculating about his potential opponents already. It would be interesting to see how much success the Irishman gets upon his return.
