Conor McGregor is consumed with his preparations for an August boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. But according to UFC boss Dana White, the Irishman has picked out his next MMA opponent regardless of the Mayweather outcome.
MORE: WATCH: Roach gives McGregor little chance against Mayweather |
“You know what Conor told me? He said, ‘I want Khabib (Nurmagomedov) in Russia,'” White told MMAjunkie.
“Isn’t he (expletive) awesome? He’s like, ‘I want Khabib, in Russia.’ He’s awesome. Conor McGregor is a (expletive) unicorn. There’s nothing like him. He’s working on boxing Floyd Mayweather and then he’s talking about fighting Khabib in Russia right after.”
Nurmagomedov, a Russian fighter with a perfect 24-0 MMA record (8-0 UFC), is reportedly still slated to fight Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC).
This particular fight has been scheduled three previous times, most recently at UFC 209 in March, with each one falling through for various reasons. In response, McGregor has called Nurmagomedov a “consistent pullout merchant.”
It appears a few events need to fall into place for a McGregor-Nurmagomedov fight to happen, but if it were to take place in Russia it would mark another historic moment for McGregor as the UFC has never held an event in the country.