Conor McGregor thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov retired to avoid a rematch with him. The Notorious One even claimed that the Eagle wasn’t a true fighter.
Conor McGregor is a week away from walking into the Octagon once again. The Notorious One is scheduled to face Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. The former two division Champion however, already has his sights set on a familiar foe instead.
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Speaking with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, he suggested that Khabib Nurmagomedov was scared to face him. He did admit that Khabib’s father’s passing was the main cause of his retirement. McGregor, however, couldn’t resist taking a dig at him for retiring while there were still so many great fights to be had.
Conor McGregor thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov retired to avoid a rematch with him
“I think he’s afraid to fight me,” McGregor claimed. “That’s for damn sure. You know, and I don’t blame him. I know everything, I fought the best of him on that night (UFC 229), he fought the worst of me on that night; he knows it, I know it, his team knows it. I have the answer to destroy that man.
“So, you know, he can pull the wool over people’s eyes for only so long. So, you know, it is what it is. I know there’s surrounding things regarding the family and that. You know, if he’s retired, that’s it. I wish him well. It is what it is. But I am who I am, and I am at the top, you know. So, time will show.”
When asked if he felt that Khabib retired to avoid fighting him, McGregor said:
“Ah, yes. I would say so. I think his hand was shown. He’s not a true fighter, in my opinion, you know. How could you walk away? There’s so many great fights to be had, you know what I mean? Like think of the Diazs, the Fergusons, you know. There’s so many wild fights; the Oliveiras, the rematch against me.
“I think it’s just preposterous to walk away. I think he just… Not only did he sh** on the bus, I think he pi**ed on the chips also. I think he showed his hand. But then at the same time, you know, there is family issues. And, you know, it is what it is. So, all the best.”
McGregor vs Nurmagomedov – A messy history
McGregor and Nurmagomedov took on each other all the way back in October 2018. They main evented UFC 229, which to this day remains the highest sold UFC PPV. While the UFC Lightweight title was on the line, circumstances surrounding the event made the stakes even higher than a championship.
The thrash talk before the match got so personal, that the title began to feel like an afterthought. In fact, the fight is notorious for the mass brawl that took place after.
There have been several talks of a rematch between the two since. Very little has been done about it though. It also doesn’t help that McGregor has retired twice since that bout and now Khabib has called the curtain on his career too.
Fans will hope that Khabib pulls a Connor and the two have a go at each other once again. For now though, McGregor and his fans have a mouthwatering clash against Poirier coming up at UFC 257 on January 23rd, 2021 to look forward to.
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