Conor McGregor next fight: Negotiations for Khabib fight CONFIRMED as UFC return nears
CONOR MCGREGOR’s eagerly-anticipated fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov is in the works, the UFC’s lightweight champion has revealed.
A multi-million-pound fight between the pair has been on the cards for over 19 months following Nurmagomedov’s unforgettable call out of McGregor at UFC 205, which he made after being overlooked for a title shot.
The eagerness to see biggest names in the lightweight division lock horns with one another reached fever pitch last April at the UFC 223 media day in Brooklyn, where McGregor attacked a bus carrying the Dagestan native.
In the weeks following that unsavoury incident and Nurmagomedov claiming the lightweight crown, UFC president Dana White has repeatedly stated that Nurmagomedov versus McGregor will be the next 155lbs title fight.
And according to ‘The Eagle’, the UFC brass are working on his proposed bout with his predecessor at the summit of the stacked lightweight division.
Conor McGregor Return: Potential dates for return revealed
“Very soon, I’m going to come to the USA to begin my training camp,” 29-year-old Nurmagomedov said during a Live Raise broadcast.
“When the UFC give me fight, I’m going to come to California and I’m going to stay there in AKA with my family nine weeks before fight.
“I’m going to defend my Inshallah (god willing) this year. This year, I want to defend my title.
Conor McGregor goes on wild rampage during UFC media day
The UFC is working on fight, me versus Conor
“About opponents, I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t know. But the UFC is working on fight, me versus Conor.”
Should a fight with McGregor fail to come to fruition, Nurmagomedov is willing to face whoever the UFC put in front of him.
“If they give (me) Conor, I’m going to fight,” he continued.
“If they give me different opponents; ‘GSP’ or the winner of (Eddie) Alvarez versus (Dustin) Poirier. It doesn’t matter, let’s go.”
Nurmagomedov’s declaration comes a week after it was reported that a showdown with McGregor is being discussed for UFC 229, which takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on October 6.
Last Saturday, MMA Team Dagestan tweeted: “BREAKING: @TeamKhabib vs. @TheNotoriousMMA in the works for UFC 229 October 6, Las Vegas, T-Mobile Arena."
The initial report of Nurmagomedov vs McGregor being targeted for UFC 229 was met with a lot of skepticism, but that is likely to dissipate following the former's latest statement on his future.
Although it seems that Nurmagomedov vs McGregor is close to coming to fruition, the fight can’t be made until the culmination of the latter’s ongoing court case, the result of his actions at the UFC 223 media day.
McGregor is currently facing three charges of assault and one charge of criminal mischief for his rampage, in which he threw a dolly through the window of a bus carrying his fellow fighters.
The Irishman’s legal team are in the process of working on a plea deal with Brooklyn District Attorney ahead of his July 26 hearing.
McGregor, 29, hasn’t set foot inside the Octagon since his historic UFC 205 victory over Eddie Alvarez, a triumph which saw him become the promotion’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion.
Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, hasn’t fought since succeeding McGregor as lightweight champion at UFC 223, where he recorded a unanimous decision victory over Al Iaquinta.