What does Khabib Nurmagomedov have up his sleeve?
To be honest, we don’t have the foggiest idea but the undefeated Russian definitely has something on the horizon as he looks to position himself for his long overdue title shot.
Once he got the bout to the mat, Nurmagomedov encountered no resistance against Michael Johnson as he added to his perfect professional record at UFC 205.
He wasted no time in calling out Conor McGregor hours before ‘The Notorious’ claimed the lightweight title and the 24th win of his career just solidified Nurmagomedov’s status as the number one contender at 155lbs.
But, in 2016, the rankings have never mattered as little and McGregor seemingly calls all shots, meaning that Nurmagomedov is not guaranteed the next crack at the Irishman.
Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz, as well as a welterweight clash with Tyron Woodley, remain on the table for McGregor and Nurmagomedov has insisted that he has a scheme in place just in case he doesn’t get his hands on the first two-weight world champion in UFC history.
“I have a big plan, a big plan. But after a couple of days you guys will know,” Nurmagomedov told RT.com.
“Because he moved to my weight. That’s why he is my enemy. Sometimes I respect my opponent, this time no.”
The big plan could well be a move up to welterweight but at 170lbs he would be behind the likes of Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia in the title picture.
“I think I’m truly a lightweight, I’m not a welterweight,” Nurmagomedov answered when asked if he would consider switching weight classes. “But why not? First smash Conor McGregor, take lightweight title, then fight for the welterweight title. I like this idea. So maybe.”
The Russian and McGregor almost came to blows at the UFC 205 ceremonial weigh-ins, when the pair had to be separated by security as they exchanged words backstage.
Nurmagomedov went on to explain what happened when he encountered the Dubliner and his entourage.
“He was watching me. I said, ‘what? What do you want?’ Because I saw a video that morning [of him] talking bad to Tyron Woodley. And maybe he thinks I am Tyron Woodley. I told him I am different. I am not Eddie [Alvarez], I am not Tyron. I am different,” Nurmagomedov said.
“And he didn’t say nothing. He just said, ‘what? What?’ I did let him know [that] I am gonna smash his face. He said, ‘We’ll see. We’ll see.’ That’s it.”
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