Could Conor McGregor fight Khabib Nurmagomedov next? According to Dana White it’s a match-up that’s under serious consideration right now.
The UFC’s new owners WME-IMG are known to be keen to expand the promotion’s global reach by breaking into the Russian market, and after a recent visit thered it seems they are now leaning towards having ‘The Notorious’ fight the country’s biggest star, Nurmagomedov.
“We’re focused very heavily on Russia right now,” White told FOX5. “First of all, there’s tons of talent coming out of Russia, and a lot of fans. There’s a fighter named Khabib who’s from Russia, and he’s insanely popular. The next fight could be Conor vs. Khabib.”
Nurmagomedov has been loudly calling for a fight with McGregor for some time now, and he’s certainly earned a title opportunity after compiling no less than eight victories in a row inside the Octagon.
That has taken the 28 year-old’s overall MMA record to a flawless 22-0, making ‘The Eagle’ the uncrowned champion in many people’s eyes.
White has always praised McGregor’s fearless attitude when it comes to accepting fights in the UFC, and making the first defense of his lightweight title in Nurmagomedov’s own backyard in Russia would be a perfect example of that, and a chance for him to live out his own ‘Rocky IV’ moment.
There are other options on the table though, with Tony Ferguson also loudly banging on the door of title contention after a nine-fight winning streak, while welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has also made it clear he’d be more than willing to fight the Irish superstar in 2017.
At the moment it still remains to be seen when McGregor will actually return though. At one stage it seemed he was going to stay out of action until the birth of his first child in May, then White indicated it could be as late as October before he returns, while most recently the fighter himself hinted that he could now return sooner rather than later after having a chance to enjoy the holiday season.
