With the fight against Dustin Poirier taking place in a few days, Conor McGregor tries to stay focused on UFC 257. But it is almost impossible for the former two-division champion to ignore the shadow of lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov hovering over the event.
McGregor fell to Nurmagomedov by rear naked choke in the fourth round in his previous encounter in 2018 and since then “The Notorious” has only competed once in an unbalanced victory over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Nurmagomedov defended his title two more times before calling it a career after a submission win over Justin Gaethje last October.
The retirement announcement came as a shock to everyone around Nurmagomedov, who declared his intention to quit the sport after making a promise to his mother after his father’s tragic death in early 2020. Since then, UFC president Dana White continued to tip on Nurmagomedov’s eventual return, although a planned announcement about his decision to fight again or not ended without any real clarification about his future.
White said Nurmagomedov said that if something really impressed him in the upcoming lightweight fights, he could consider a return to action. McGregor was quick to counter that as a fact, but he acknowledged his own desire to chase the lightweight champion if the opportunity is offered to him.
“I really don’t care,” said McGregor of Nurmagomedov during UFC 257’s pre-fight press conference. “He didn’t say that, Dana said that. We will just get over the fight. All these men are here, there are many challenges. It is a difficult business. Things happened in his personal life, I wish him no harm. As I said, it was in 2018, a long time passed.
“The world knows that this fight is not over. The war is not over. Sport needs it to happen People need it to happen. I won’t chase him if he doesn’t want to. That’s it. I will stay calm and move on. That’s what I’m doing. I’m back here in the 155 pound division. I will show the world what is what over time and what it is. It starts on Saturday night against Dustin Poirier. “
Earlier in the week, when McGregor made his arrival at the host hotel, he was standing just meters from Nurmagomedov, who was in Abu Dhabi to corner his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Fight Island 8 on Wednesday.
Numerous reporters in the field noticed how close the rivals were to each other, which probably would not make anyone hesitate in normal situations. But McGregor and Nurmagomedov got involved in some altercations outside the cage that only increased their contempt for each other.
For his part, McGregor was not paying much attention to Nurmagomedov’s whereabouts when he arrived at Fight Island. However, he cannot say with certainty what can happen if they cross paths again.
“All of these events were in 2018, now it’s 2021,” said McGregor. “What I will say is that as long as we fight again, there will be no problem. That’s it. If he continues to run, I’m not sure, we’ll see what happens. “
With so much indecision revolving around the future of Nurmagomedov, McGregor argues that the UFC make a decision on the lightweight title still in the waist of the undefeated Russian.
If he comes back, McGregor is ready for the rematch. Otherwise, the Irish star wants the division to go beyond Nurmagomedov, which means crowning a new lightweight champion.
“I would defend the case, if that man continued to shy away from it and shied away from the commitment to compete again, the title should be withdrawn and we should be engaged in a title fight,” said McGregor. “But I’m sure it will happen after this fight.
“I’m interested in knowing what the excuse is or what will be said after the fight, but I foresee a title strip.”