It looks like Khabib Nurmagomedov has a fight announcement coming soon.
Although it is unknown who Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight next, there is only a handful of plausible opponents for the undefeated Dagestani. It all depends on what happens next with the two belt holders in the 155 lb division.
UFC president already laid out the options in plain English. If Conor McGregor drags his heels returning to the Octagon, Nurmagomedov will fight interim champion Tony Ferguson. Otherwise, a title unification bout will be the next booking. White’s promises aren’t as ironclad as they may have been in the past, but this seems to be the plan.
This week, Nurmagomedov got everyone speculating with a three-word Instagram post – ‘big news coming.’ Ferguson and McGregor both posting training updates on their social media accounts hasn’t made the situation any clearer.
Interesting https://t.co/Ls49A6cko6
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) January 10, 2018
With a pristine 25-0 record, Nurmagomedov is long overdue a title shot. In fairness, he had one at UFC 209, but was forced to withdraw due to a botched weight cut. In this regard, he has somewhat been the architect of his own demise.
If he gets snubbed of another crack at the belt, the next guy in the queue is in their sights. Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap told Matchtv.ru that if Ferguson vs McGregor gets booked, they want number-three ranked Eddie Alvarez.
“I think that Conor, Diaz, and Ferguson, instead of fighting with Khabib, will be better off fighting against each other 30 times.”
“We understand this perfectly. If Conor and Ferguson fight among themselves, give us Alvarez. He said that he was preparing Barboza for Khabib. Well, let’s see, let him go by himself now.”
No wayyy @TeamKhabib called Me unprofessional… Ain't that some shit . God bless You my man haven't laughed this hard in a while 🤣🤣 Merry Christmas 🎄🎁
— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) December 19, 2017
The self-proclaimed ‘UFC’s most violent man’ explained on the MMA Hour that he was in talks over a ‘megafight’. In terms of active fighters at 155 lbs, none seem more ‘mega’ than Nurmagomedov. His last fight with Justin Gaethje more than delivered on the hype front too, meaning he is also one of the marquee names at the business end of the division.
If Nurmagomedov and ‘the Underground King’ get booked to fight, the biggest loser will be Dustin Poirier. ‘The Diamond’s fight with Alvarez ended in a controversial ‘No Contest’ after Alvarez landed an illegal knee. He has been pushing hard for a rematch ever since.
