Lightweight No.1 contender Khabib Nurmagomedov took his career record to a perfect 24-0 (8 inside the Octagon) against the fifth ranked Michael Johnson at UFC 205 on Saturday night and then got on the mic and demanded a title shot against Conor McGregor.
Now the Russian star has gone one step further and stated that if he’s not given a title shot then he’ll quit the UFC.
“I want to fight for @ufc title for respect but if I don’t get my title shot next I have different plan I won’t be fighting in UFC @danawhite,” Nurmagomedov wrote on Twitter.
A lot hinges on McGregor though, since he seems to be calling the shots these days as to who and when he fights, and at the UFC 205 post-fight press conference following his lightweight title win over Eddie Alvarez, the two-division champion appeared indifferent to the prospect of facing ‘The Eagle’.
“He ain’t fighting frequent enough for my liking,” McGregor told reporters. “For me to commit to something like that, I need to know people are going to show up, and he’s a consistent pullout merchant.”
However, there may be some glimmer of hope for Nurmagomedov as Dana White also stated at the presser that he and WME-IMG head Ari Emanuel will be heading to Russia in the coming weeks as they target the enormous region for the next stage of their international expansion plans.
White promised reporters that the first event there would be huge, and with Nurmagomedov being Russia’s biggest UFC star, he’s guaranteed to feature prominently in their plans.
It remains to be seen whether that would lead to a blockbuster title fight with McGregor, or perhaps a title eliminator match-up with Tony Ferguson, but either way it would be a huge opportunity that you have to think Nurmagomedov would struggle to turn his back on.
