Khabib Nurmagomedov has kept a keen eye on Conor McGregor’s career trajectory.
It’s seems like the pair are on a collision course in one another’s direction and if Nurmagomedov keeps winning and McGregor returns to defend his UFC lightweight title, then there’s no way around it.
They’re going to cross paths.
The undefeated Russian will significantly boost his chances of a Red Panty Night if he stretches his perfect professional record to 25-0 by claiming the interim 155lbs title when he clashes with fellow streaking top contender Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of UFC 209.
A victory will all but guarantee a shot at ‘The Notorious’ if and when he decides to return to the Octagon following his self-imposed hiatus, as the lightweight champion will be obliged to defend his belt against the man who holds the interim iteration of the title.
But Nurmagomedov has noticed a trend from the Irishman that leads him to believe that McGregor will never defend his crown because, well, he never has.
Throughout his career, McGregor has never defended one of his world titles as he’s prioritised new challenges over returning to old, conquered ground.
“Because he never defends his belts,” Nurmagomedov told FOX Sports when asked why he foresees a scenario in which he doesn’t fight the Dubliner next. “He never [defended] his Cage Warriors belts, never defended his featherweight belt, and now UFC lightweight, I don’t think is different. But he has to defend.
“We’ll see. I don’t think about this too much. I think about Tony and March 4. This is the biggest fight in my life.”
Another trend of McGregor’s career and one of which many fans have grown quite fond is his unpredictability.
People expect him to go in one direction with his next bout and he pulls a wildcard. And that could well be the case when he decides to return to action following the arrival of his firstborn.
McGregor may not even make it to the Octagon in 2017 as the talk over a potential super-fight opposite boxing great Floyd Mayweather intensifies.
And the man tasked with facing Nurmagomedov in the meantime, Tony Ferguson, isn’t best pleased with the fact that his clash with the Dagestani is prefaced by the term “interim.”
“It’s for an interim title. It should be for the real shit. Am I little pissed about it? Yeah. Is Conor going to defend his belt? Little bitch. Probably not,” Ferguson told FOX Sports. “He’s going to run. Go ahead. Go run. Go try to box so you can get your ass kicked, too, then when you’re ready to come back they’re going to strip your belt. At 155, I’m going to be holding that and you’re going to be like ‘oh I want my belt back’. I don’t give a fuck.
“This is the real fight. The fight’s between Khabib and Ferguson. That’s the real deal fight.”
