Khabib Issues Warning Message To Conor McGregor
The UFC is still digesting the fallout of by far their craziest week ever, one that started by the last-minute knee injury to Tony Ferguson, who was forced out of his fourth scheduled fight with longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov at tomorrow’s UFC 223.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to craziness for this week.
Yes, lightweight champion Conor McGregor went off in an over-the-top, illegal tirade where he threw a metal dolly and guardrail at a bus containing Nurmagomedov following UFC 223 media day yesterday, for which he eventually turned himself in on assault charges and was bailed out and approved to go back to Ireland.
Yet it didn’t stop there, as UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, the man tabbed to replace Ferguson, was ruled out of the UFC 223 main event when NY doctors deemed him unfit to continue cutting weight for the fight. So began a twisting, turning chain of events involving three top lightweights that ultimately resulted in an impromptu title fight between Nurmagomedov and Al Iaquinta, a fight where Dana White says ‘Ragin’ Al’ can win the title but the commission says he can’t.
It’s all compiled upon itself to result in the most hectic two days the sport of MMA has ever seen, and perhaps no one was affected more than the No. 2 Khabib, who was tasked with five potential opponents this week and the subject of McGregor’s unnecessary outburst of danger. ‘The Eagle’ rapidly issued a response to those who said he was “scared” of McGregor yesterday, and during today’s (Fri., April 6, 2018) UFC 25th-Anniversary Press Conference, Khabib reiterated that McGregor could give him a location to come find him:
“If you wanna find me, please, just send me location. Send me location. Of course, I am UFC fighter, lotta people follow me, I have to be perfect for example, but nobody perfect. when somebody like you, UFC fighter, talk about you bad, or he try to go bully with him, one hundred percent I’m gonna give him back.”
Asked exactly what message he had for ‘The Notorious,’ the wrestling technician said he hoped McGregor took care of his business so they could settle their smoldering beef once and for all – whether it was inside the cage or out of it:
“To be honest, I hope he’s gonna he’s gonna fix his problem and we gonna fix between me and him problem – inside the cage or outside the cage, it doesn’t matter – we have to fix this.”
Following the events that transpired this week, there’s little doubt that a McGregor vs. Khabib lightweight bout would be the most anticipated fight this year, with the possibility of being one of the biggest UFC fights ever staged.
The rivalry appears to be a real one after Khabib cornered McGregor’s training partner and teammate Artem Lobov in a hotel earlier this week, and the rest is history after ‘The Notorious’ did what he did yesterday in Brooklyn.
He has to sort out his legal standing, and Khabib, of course, has to get past Iaquinta at UFC 223 tomorrow night, but if the stars do align, McGregor’s insane antics may actually create a clear path to the biggest fight in the octagon in quite a few years.
If it does, ‘The Eagle’ insists he’s ready to settle the score.
