McGregor ‘avoiding Nurmagomedov’
Nurmagomedov’s trainer Mendez says McGregor is avoiding his fighter:
Yes, 100 percent, he is ducking Khabib. I know that from the words he is saying. ‘He doesn’t fight enough for my taste’? Give me a break. You can say, ‘Hey, I want to fight Nate Diaz a third time.’ Fine. Say that. But don’t try to put my guy down because you are trying to avoid him. Don’t belittle my guy. That’s bullshit…When [McGregor] fought Chad Mendes, I thought it proved he wasn’t ducking anybody. But now he’s doing this and I’m thinking he’s trying to avoid Khabib. I think Khabib, [lightweight contenders] Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson all give Conor a hell of a fight—but the guy who gives him the worst time, by far, is Khabib. He’s the strongest grappler in the division.
Trash talked McGregor between rounds
In a trailer for The Thrill and the Agony, Nurmagomedov tells Johnson to give up while he is giving him a beating:
You have to give up. I need to fight for the title. You know this. I deserve it
Then he trash talks McGregor to White between rounds.
KH: Hey, be careful. I’m gonna smash your boy.
DW: Just get through this first
Will leave UFC if no title shot
Nurmagomedov tells White he will leave the UFC is he does not get a title shot.
I want to fight for @ufc title for respect but if I don't get my title shot next I have different plan I won't be fighting in UFC @danawhite
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) November 16, 2016
Wants McGregor fight
Nurmagomedov says he was calling White between rounds to talk about a potential McGregor fight.
I talk to Dana in between rounds. I said, ‘Hey, don’t send me no more of your fake contracts, I need real contracts. ‘ So he said, ‘Hey, you have to finish this fight.’ I told him, ‘You already know I deserve this. After this fight, you need to send me a real contract.’ And then he told me to go finish it. After I finished fight I told him I’m waiting for agreement; maybe in Brooklyn, UFC 209, why not? February, UFC 210 in Las Vegas. Anywhere, it doesn’t matter. Russia, Ireland, I can fight in his backyard, anywhere. I know all of you know I deserve this.
McGregor: Nurmagomedov’s ‘a consistent pull-out merchant’
McGregor says he is skeptical about Nurmagomedov.
Look he’s fought once in eight years. Y’know what I’m saying? He ain’t fightin’ too frequent for my liking. For me to commit to something like that I need solid proof that people are going to show up, and he’s a consistent pull-out merchant. We’ll see where that goes. He had a good performance tonight, fair play to him. But I need to see active. I need to see activity, I need to see me. If you want me to change your life, if you want me to come and pick you, you’d better have some damn [good] reasons for me to do that.
This is what Conor McGregor said about Khabib Nurmagomedov at the UFC 205 post fight press conference….https://t.co/E7U0u2Y55C
— Conor McGregor News (@ConormcGregor5) March 3, 2017
Wants to fight ‘chicken’ Conor McGregor
After his win against Johnson in the UFC 205 prelims, Nurmagomedov says he wants to fight McGregor.
I want to fight your chicken Let’s go with your chicken. I want to stay humble. But I have to talk because the other guys talk too much and … I understand the crazy power the UFC PR machine has. [McGregor], at the beginning of the year he tapped like a chicken but at the end of the year he is fighting for the title. Crazy.
McGregor, Nurmagomedov spat
The Mac Life releases a video of McGregor and Nurmagomedov facing off after the UFC 205 weigh-in. Nurmagomedov:
F-ck this guy. F-ck this motherf-cker.
Anger at McGregor-Alvarez fight announcement
Nurmagomedov says that, despite being sent two separate contracts for a title shot against Alvarez at UFC 205 and UFC 206, he has been used as a negotiating tool in order to get the real UFC 205 main event over the line.
When I signed agreement with @UFC it was sport. Now it became a freak show, or I don’t know how to call it right. Only thing that keeping me in this cracking sport, is that I don’t want to stop on the halfway, I wasn’t raised like this, not a quiter. I’ll keep moving forward InshaAllah.
I have two bout agreements that bullshit champ refuses to sign. I got used the whole time to make Conor and Eddie get on their knees and beg
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) September 27, 2016
Just for the record @Ealvarezfight and @TheNotoriousMMA fear me I'm just a man. Your time will come to get my hands on you
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) September 27, 2016
White wants McGregor-Aldo, Nurmagomedov-Alvarez
White says he plans to have Alvarez defend his belt against Nurmagomedov, and McGregor to defend his belt against Aldo. Nurmagomedov says he has signed two contracts to fight Alvarez: one for UFC 205 in New York in November and another to fight him at UFC 206 in Toronto in December. However, Alvarez wants to fight McGregor, and McGregor appears to want to fight Alvarez. Reports of a McGregor injury affecting the fight are dismissed by White:
Conor’s foot is hurt, but he thinks he can fight. I want him to fight Aldo.
Nurmagomedov:
Alvarez wants to fight McGregor, because it’s an easy fight and it’s a lot of money to fight him. But he has to fight me. Dana White has told me, ‘He is fighting you. He has to fight you.’ His record is only 2-1 in the UFC and he loses like a chicken to Cowboy [Cerrone]. How did he even get a title shot? I don’t know why he is so scared to fight me…I would have to be careful in the first [round] because he does punch hard. In the second, I would start to catch him and in the third, I’d finish him. Mentally, he’s already lost to me…All I want is 25 minutes in the cage with Alvarez…Put me in a cage somewhere with him and lock the door. Then I can show the world who the best really is.
Nurmagomedov: McGregor vs. Alvarez would be ‘No. 1 bulls**t’
Nurmagomedov says he should be given the title shot against Alvarez, not McGregor.
I want to fight at 205 in New York, maybe fight with Eddie Alvarez. I love this fight. I want to fight for the belt. All fans, coaches, fighters, analytics, everybody agrees and knows who deserves this title shot. I deserve it. I am No. 1 ranked. Why UFC put me on No. 1 ranking if they don’t want to give me title shot? Why do they make rankings? Conor McGregor fights in the UFC in a lighter division and the UFC wants to give him title shot? I think this is No. 1 bullshit. They cannot give him a title shot because he’s never fought with the top guys, like top five, top 10 in the lightweight division, and they want to give him title shot?..I’m still focused. If the UFC gives him a title shot, it’s okay. I’m a little bit not happy and at the same time I’m a little bit happy, because if the UFC gives him a title shot and he becomes lightweight champion and I win somebody like a top five guy, then we have to fight and he has to fight with me.
Schaub: Alvarez wanted more money to fight McGregor
Schaub says Alvarez would not fight McGregor at UFC 205 because UFC will not pay him enough, and it is likely that McGregor will have to fight Nurmagomedov, and Alvarez will miss UFC 205.
From what I hear, Eddie Alvarez was complaining to the UFC brass that he wanted more money to fight Conor McGregor. He wanted pay-per-view points, he wanted a certain amount of money and the UFC, you know Joe Silva’s going out on his shield, were like, you wanna do what? Looking at the whole picture… if Conor wants that 155 belt, now he’s gotta get through Khabib Nurmagomedov. Who’s gonna beat that guy? Unless he beats himself. Unless he gets injured, no one’s beating that guy. I don’t see it happening, not even close. And for Conor, it’s the worst match up at 155. I think for Conor, it’s a tough fight, but I can see him beating Eddie Alvarez. Khabib? I mean that guy’s gonna be the champ. It’s very short sighted by the UFC. Pay Eddie more money. What do you guys fu*king care? Madison Square Garden, how much money do you need? Pay the guy more money. Unless he’s asking for like 10 million or some ridiculous number… It’s very short sighted.
https://soundcloud.com/fighterandthekid/episode-188-jonathan-kite
White: McGregor not fighting at UFC 205
In response to a fan question on Twitter, White says UFC 205 will feature Alvarez vs Nurmagomedov, not McGregor. No official statement has been released by White or the UFC regarding McGregor or Aldo’s next fight as of yet.
not true it's @TeamKhabib
— danawhite (@danawhite) September 21, 2016