Khabib Nurmagomedov: I'll Make Conor McGregor Regret Lightweight Move
Khabib Nurmagomedov: I'll Make Conor McGregor Regret Lightweight Move
The past two years have been no walk in the park for Khabib Nurmagomedov. Here, the UFC lightweight talks his past, present, and future.
By Jim Edwards
The past two years have been no walk in the park for Khabib Nurmagomedov.
After multiple injury problems forced him to pull out of scheduled bouts with Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson, Nurmagomedov's long-awaited return to action in April 2016 hit another setback when Ferguson was forced to pulled out of their rescheduled bout with a lung issue.
Facing late replacement opponent debutant Darrell Horcher was far from an ideal scenario. But for Nurmagomedov, returning to the Octagon was all the satisfaction he needed.
"When I came back in April I felt like I was in my element," Nurmagomedov said. "There's no better feeling than being in the Octagon for me. After such a long time away it made me feel free again and I'm ready to move forward now."
In October 2015, Nurmagomedov mentioned on his Instagram account that he wasn't sure if he would ever return. Looking back on his time out now, the Russian is quick to heap praise on his team back in Bahrain.
"I went through some tough times but I did a lot of my rehab in Bahrain with KHK MMA and they helped me so much," Numagomedov said. "They gave me the best doctors in the world and they never let me keep my head down for long. It was always tough getting the news of my injuries but I have them to thank for getting me back to full health."
Ferguson and Nurmagomedov were twice scheduled to face each other; both times, the fight fell through. Now, with Ferguson booked to face Michael Chiesa, Nurmagomedov has moved on.
"Ferguson is not my focus. My focus is to get the belt, he said. "Good for him getting the fight. But my goal now is to fight for the UFC lightweight belt, so they can do what they want."
Nurmagomedov was briefly linked with fights at UFC 200 with Nate Diaz and Georges St-Pierre. Neither bout materialized. But Nurmagomedov was happy to admit that it was he who pitched both ideas to the UFC.
"These were ideas I went to them with. But it never went further than that," Nurmagomedov said. "I offered my services. But the UFC had different plans, so it didn't really bother me when it didn't happen. I don't have any dream fight. But the person I admire a lot, and I think is one of the greatest fighters ever, is Georges St-Pierre. I would have loved to fight him in his prime. Like I said though, I'm focusing on myself right now and I'm determined on keeping my undefeated streak going and fighting for the title."
One man who may soon be in the lightweight title mix is Conor McGregor. Nurmagomedov has previously stated the Irishman should stick to the featherweight division and would make him regret the move.
While he wasn't willing to elaborate on this too much, Nurmagomedov said McGregor wouldn't take a fight against him. And if he did, the result is inevitable.
"Conor would never fight me, but if he did I don't need to say the result," Nurmagomedov said. "Everybody already knows what would happen. I don't need to say it again. Unless he's in my way for the title, he's another guy I'm not going to talk about."
Nurmagomedov's motivation to return after multiple injury setbacks have been driven UFC gold. But he's focused on more than just lightweight.
"My ultimate achievement is that I want to be a two weight class champion and retire undefeated," Nurmagomedov said."I believe winning on my return means I should get the next title shot. I have to see what happens on July 7th when Dos Anjos and Alvarez fight. But after that, I will talk to my team and we will go from there. It's a just a matter of time before I'm the champion."
The past two years have been no walk in the park for Khabib Nurmagomedov.
After multiple injury problems forced him to pull out of scheduled bouts with Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson, Nurmagomedov's long-awaited return to action in April 2016 hit another setback when Ferguson was forced to pulled out of their rescheduled bout with a lung issue.
Facing late replacement opponent debutant Darrell Horcher was far from an ideal scenario. But for Nurmagomedov, returning to the Octagon was all the satisfaction he needed.
"When I came back in April I felt like I was in my element," Nurmagomedov said. "There's no better feeling than being in the Octagon for me. After such a long time away it made me feel free again and I'm ready to move forward now."
In October 2015, Nurmagomedov mentioned on his Instagram account that he wasn't sure if he would ever return. Looking back on his time out now, the Russian is quick to heap praise on his team back in Bahrain.
"I went through some tough times but I did a lot of my rehab in Bahrain with KHK MMA and they helped me so much," Numagomedov said. "They gave me the best doctors in the world and they never let me keep my head down for long. It was always tough getting the news of my injuries but I have them to thank for getting me back to full health."
Ferguson and Nurmagomedov were twice scheduled to face each other; both times, the fight fell through. Now, with Ferguson booked to face Michael Chiesa, Nurmagomedov has moved on.
"Ferguson is not my focus. My focus is to get the belt, he said. "Good for him getting the fight. But my goal now is to fight for the UFC lightweight belt, so they can do what they want."
Nurmagomedov was briefly linked with fights at UFC 200 with Nate Diaz and Georges St-Pierre. Neither bout materialized. But Nurmagomedov was happy to admit that it was he who pitched both ideas to the UFC.
"These were ideas I went to them with. But it never went further than that," Nurmagomedov said. "I offered my services. But the UFC had different plans, so it didn't really bother me when it didn't happen. I don't have any dream fight. But the person I admire a lot, and I think is one of the greatest fighters ever, is Georges St-Pierre. I would have loved to fight him in his prime. Like I said though, I'm focusing on myself right now and I'm determined on keeping my undefeated streak going and fighting for the title."
One man who may soon be in the lightweight title mix is Conor McGregor. Nurmagomedov has previously stated the Irishman should stick to the featherweight division and would make him regret the move.
While he wasn't willing to elaborate on this too much, Nurmagomedov said McGregor wouldn't take a fight against him. And if he did, the result is inevitable.
"Conor would never fight me, but if he did I don't need to say the result," Nurmagomedov said. "Everybody already knows what would happen. I don't need to say it again. Unless he's in my way for the title, he's another guy I'm not going to talk about."
Nurmagomedov's motivation to return after multiple injury setbacks have been driven UFC gold. But he's focused on more than just lightweight.
"My ultimate achievement is that I want to be a two weight class champion and retire undefeated," Nurmagomedov said."I believe winning on my return means I should get the next title shot. I have to see what happens on July 7th when Dos Anjos and Alvarez fight. But after that, I will talk to my team and we will go from there. It's a just a matter of time before I'm the champion."