Contender for the interim UFC lightweight championship belt, Khabib Nurmagomedov is shedding some bad blood with the current champion Conor McGregor.
On paternity leave, McGregor is out of the fight for the moment, leaving Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson to fight for the interim title.
Displeased with Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov had this to say in an interview with ESPN, “After I finish [Ferguson], then Conor and after I finish Conor, UFC will maybe want to make rematch. But I say, ‘No, calm down. You have to stand in line.’ I came to the UFC to fight with top-level fighters and become the undisputed, undefeated champion. This is my goal. A lot of people fight with [McGregor] because of money. I can give him money if he needs money.”
Of course, in the event of Nurmagomedov claiming the interim title, the fighter will be obligated to face the current champion. Declining the fight would be nearly unprecedented, but it is too early to tell what Nurmagomedov will do. After all, Nurmagomedov’s victory at UFC 209 is anything but definite.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson face off on March 4, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada for the UFC interim lightweight belt at UFC 209.
