Ultimate Fighting Championship sensation Khabib Nurmagomedov has vowed to embarrass dual-weight champion Conor McGregor if the two can schedule a bout, saying he wants to "finish his [McGregor's] hype."
Speaking to TMZ, "The Eagle" voiced his desire to face McGregor—the current UFC lightweight and featherweight champion—and do a little more than merely defeat the Irishman:
TMZ also provided a partial transcript of Nurmagomedov's interview, where he said his desire to fight McGregor is "not about the money," instead stating his wish to end his potential opponent's reign as UFC poster child:
I want to take him down, speak with him, slap him, make him nervous ... like, 'Hey, get up! Let's go! Where is your boxing?' ... play with him and make him give up. This is what I want.
But I don't want to finish him 1st round, 2nd round, 3rd round ... I want to fight with him for 25 minutes like 5 rounds and I want to make him look very bad. And finish his hype.
Nurmagomedov is undefeated in his professional mixed martial arts career and has amassed a staggering 24-0 record since 2008, with eight of those bouts coming in the UFC.
The 28-year-old also provided insight into his previous communications with McGregor via text, where he sent out a personal declaration of war against The Notorious in his search for the lightweight belt:
I am old school and try to do this man to man but the he don't want anything to do with a real man. Time to move on @danawhite @seanshelby pic.twitter.com/ilAL4yM6O7
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) November 23, 2016
Nurmagomedov previously hoped to fight McGregor at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, but the featherweight champion instead clinched his second title with a second-round knockout of Eddie Alvarez.
Meanwhile, the Eastern European wrestling expert dominated Michael Johnson in a third-round submission victory via kimura, although Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden recently said he's still not worthy of a shot at McGregor's crown:
Khabib Nurmagomedov is a fighter with lots of potential. But he's beaten one top 5 guy in his whole career. Some of y'all are out of line.
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) November 24, 2016
It's true that since defeating former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in April 2014, Nurmagomedov's resume looks light, having only fought twice in the two-and-a-half-year spell that's followed.
Prior to beating Johnson, he demonstrated his talent with a second-round knockout defeat of Darrell Horcher, and some may believe Nurmagomedov must do more to prove his credentials before moving into title-shot territory.
With two straps to his name, McGregor now has an array of options ahead of him at featherweight, lightweight and perhaps beyond, while Nurmagomedov may need to prove his long-term fitness to land his dream fight.
According to Karim Zidan of Bloody Elbow, the Dagestan native has expressed some openness to fighting Tony Ferguson, who is currently third in the UFC's lightweight rankings:
Khabib confirmed to Russian media that he is willing to face Ferguson for the interim title in McGregor’s absence. Says “more realistic"
— Karim Zidan (@ZidanSports) November 23, 2016
It was during Nurmagomedov's rather one-sided dismantling of Johnson at UFC 205 that he could be heard gesturing to UFC president Dana White to stop sending him "fake contracts," per Russian broadcaster RT (h/t Fox Sports' Damon Martin).
Some believe Nurmagomedov's grappling style could present a major mismatch to boxing specialist McGregor, and his latest comments suggest he still believes he can be the Dubliner's kryptonite.
