Conor McGregor reveals his desire to channel his inner Rocky
CONOR MCGREGOR has doubled down on his desire to fight in Russia.
Conor McGregor (L) and Rocky Balboa (R)
McGregor talked up the possibility of fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in Russia earlier this year telling MMA Junkie’s Chamatkar Sandhu: “It’s certainly one of the things I would like to do.
“Whether it’s next, I don’t know. I don’t even know how close the Russia thing is. Whether Khabib can pull his s**t together; he missed weight.”
The UFC's lightweight champion has a big fan base in the country, so a bout for him there would make financial sense for both him and his employers.
McGregor is well aware of that fact and would love to put on a show for Russia fans.
'The Notorious' reiterated his eagerness to fight in Russia yesterday afternoon in an Instagram post praising his team-mate Artem Lobov for his recent work at the Kremlin.
“I am proud of my brother Artem @rushammer Lobov,” the post read.
"Inside the world-famous Kremlin compound discussing and teaching our training methods to the Russian federal reserve on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trailer for Conor McGregor documentary Notorious
One day soon I will visit Russia and potentially compete there for my Russian fans, alongside my brother Artem
“One day soon I will visit Russia and potentially compete there for my Russian fans, alongside my brother Artem.
“Thank you to all our Russian supporters for recognising our lifetime of hard work and supporting us along the entire way!
“Без труда́ не вы́тащишь и ры́бку из пруда́ (Without difficulty, you can not get a fish out of the pond).”
Conor McGregor's recent Instagram post congratulating Artem Lobov
Conor McGregor hasn't fought in the UFC since defeating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205
Should McGregor land a fight with Nurmagomedov in Russia, it will be reminiscent of Rocky Balboa’s fight with Ivan Drago in Rocky IV .
McGregor, the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously, hasn’t graced the Octagon since his historic UFC 205 victory over Eddie Alvarez.
His first fight back in mixed martial arts’ premiere promotion is expected to be a lightweight title unification bout against interim 155lbs champion Tony Ferguson.