Khabib Nurmagomedov: “McGregor Doesn’t Deserve a Rematch”

Khabib Nurmagomedov is often pretty harsh. Not only in the ring, but also during his press conferences, which we saw earlier today in London.

Although he was supposed to talk about the upcoming fight against Dustin Poirier, who is currently the interim champion in his category, Khabib dedicated some time to speak about other fighters, among which he mentioned Conor McGregor.

The undisputed monarch of the UFC lightweight category ruled out any possibility of having a rematch with the Irish fighter, saying that his rival doesn’t deserve such a chance.

Khabib spoke about the fact that McGregor doesn’t have any results which qualify him to be his challenger, and that he already showed his capabilities when he tapped out back at UFC 229.

“The last three years he has only one victory and amateur boxing. How does he deserve a rematch?” Nurmagomedov asked. “He tapped. He begged me, ‘Please don’t kill me.’ Now he’s talking about a rematch?”

"He tapped. He begged me, 'please don't kill me.'"@TeamKhabib shoots down McGregor rematch (via @ufc) pic.twitter.com/SYdZswNeR0

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 12, 2019

Many of the fans and the media are hoping to see the two rivals clashing one more time. Even though McGregor retired, some big offer could drag him back into the ring. However, it seems that the Russian isn’t willing to listen to such proposals.

Nurmagomedov is preparing to reclaim his title against Poirier (25-5) who took the belt by beating Max Holloway this April. Poirier won the fight at UFC 236 with a unanimous decision of the judges.

Khabib just briefly spoke about his next rival, saying that he doesn’t want to underestimate him and that he expects a difficult test. UFC 242 takes place in Abu Dhabi.

“I don’t want to underestimate my opponent, Dustin. He’s a tough challenge for me, and right now I don’t want to think about other opponents.”

Whoever wins this contest will fight against Tony Ferguson, who defeated Donald Cerrone this weekend, after a “controversial” decision of the referees. Cerrone’s right eye was swollen and closed, and the medical team didn’t want to take any chances, which is why they stopped the match.

Khabib and Ferguson were often involved in stories regarding the possible meeting, but those rumors never came true. According to the Russian, he would gladly accept that challenge, saying that Ferguson deserves a chance to win the title.

“He deserves a title shot, in my opinion,” Nurmagomedov said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_vdi8R6_cE

He also said that he doesn’t understand why Ferguson declined that opportunity when UFC offered him to fight with Max Holloway. Instead, he picked to compete with Cowboy Cerrone.

“I don’t know why he didn’t take that fight. He took a regular fight with Cowboy [Cerrone]. I don’t understand this.”

At the moment, Ferguson has 12 straight victories and looks unstoppable. Whoever wins at UFC 242 will have a tough time beating the 35-year old El Cucuy.

Still, all these talks were in the shadow of Khabib’s answer on the question about the possible rematch with McGregor. It would no doubt be one of the greatest spectacles of all times, but it is hard to believe that the Russian changes his mind.

After all he went through before and after the match with McGregor, it is somewhat easier to understand his grudge. McGregor was a bit arrogant, as he often insulted Khabib’s culture, religion, and family. Notorious also injured some of the people when he attacked Nurmagomedov’s bus.

This is probably his way of humiliating the Irishman, who, to be honest, didn’t ask for a rematch.