Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

Dana White says Khabib Nurmagomedov return not likely

Dana White says Khabib Nurmagomedov return not likely

Dana White says Khabib Nurmagomedov return not likely

Khabib Nurmagomedov rubs it in after Conor McGregor’s UFC 257 knockout loss

Conor McGregor had a response for Khabib, too.

There is no love lost between [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]. That’s been well documented.

Even after McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his professional MMA career to Dustin Poirier in the UFC 257 main event, Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) seemingly took a shot at the Irishman on Twitter.

Nurmagomedov indicated McGregor, who wasn’t outright named in the tweet, didn’t stay true to himself or take things seriously enough to deserve a victory.

“This is what happened, when you change your team, leave the sparring partners, who made you a champion and sparring with little kids, far away from reality,” Nurmagomedov wrote.

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Nurmagomedov’s tweet got a reaction from McGregor during the UFC 257 post-event news conference.

“My team has been the team since Day 1. I have not changed anything. It is what it is. Respect the athletes,” McGregor said. “That’s the character of the man, for sure, behind the mask. Whatever, what’s he want to do? Does he want to come back or no? … If he wants to have his disrespectful comments, come back and let’s go again, my man. I’m here for it. That’s fighting talk.”

McGregor, 32, was finished with punches by Poirier in Round 2. The loss was only his third inside the UFC cage. All of his previous career losses came by submission.

Nurmagomedov, 32, who remains the UFC lightweight champion, retired in the cage after a successful title defense last October at UFC 254. However, since that time, UFC president Dana White expressed his confidence Nurmagomedov would return for one more fight – to attempt accumulating a 30-0 record.

UFC 257 took place Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The main card streamed on ESPN pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov took a shot at Conor McGregor after his loss at UFC 257

Khabib Nurmagomedov had a message for Conor McGregor.

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is retired from fighting but that didn’t stop him from taking a shot at Conor McGregor moments after McGregor was knocked out in the second round by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.

Nurmagomedov stunned the fighting world when he retired after beating Justin Gaethje in October to raise his record to a perfect 29-0.

He of course defeated McGregor back in 2018 and then took part in a huge brawl after following the fight that led to both fighters being suspended for a long time.

Nurmagomedov, who has repeatedly said that McGregor doesn’t deserve a rematch, ripped Conor after Saturday night’s loss, saying:

This is what happened, when you change your team, leave the sparring partners who made you a champion and sparring with little kids, far away from reality.

Khabib is likely going to stay retired but it looks like he’s also going to enjoy watching McGregor struggle.

Video: Khabib Nurmagomedov just doesn’t look that into Dana White’s pitch

Dana White just won’t quit, no matter how many times Khabib drops hints that he’s retired.

UFC president Dana White isn’t taking no for an answer from [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], and it might be starting to get a little cringe.

Khabib declared himself retired after his second-round finish of Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. That was three months ago. White, who has stripped fighters of titles at the drop of a hat over the years and handed out interim belts like Halloween candy, insists on maintaining Nurmagomedov’s championship recognition.

As the lightweight title status hovered over the impending UFC 257, which features three fighters who have laid claim to a version of a lightweight title in Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Michael Chandler, as well as a top contender in Dan Hooker, White claimed a meeting with Nurmagomedov would clear things up.

Instead, at UFC on ABC 1, White came out of that meeting and said Khabib told him he would watch the fights intently and maybe return to face the competitor who impressed him the most. Then Khabib basically told a Russian outlet, “Nah.”

But White is a man worth hundreds of millions of dollars who is rarely told no, so he’s not about to just go away. Check out this clip from the latest episode of “Dana White: Looking for a Fight,” as White talks up how big McGregor-Poirier is trending relative to what a Khabib-McGregor rematch could do.

Khabib politely resists:

Most people would get the hint by this point, but then, White didn’t help turn the UFC from a dead brand into a multibillion dollar juggernaut by taking no for an answer.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Dana White to resume comeback talks with Khabib Nurmagomedov in Las Vegas after UFC 257

UFC president Dana White revealed he will meet for a second time with Khabib Nurmagomedov to discuss his potential comeback after UFC 257.

UFC president Dana White remains convinced that [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] will decide to return to the octagon, but also stated that if the current UFC lightweight champion opts not to make a comeback, he won’t hold up the division.

Speaking to Jim Rome on CBS Sports, White revealed that the pair are set for another meeting, this time in Las Vegas, following UFC 257, where the pair will discuss the lightweight division and see if there are any options have emerged that could convince the Russian star to return to the cage in 2021.

“He’s coming out to Vegas and he and I are going to go to dinner,” White revealed. “He said, ‘The one thing I won’t do (is) I will never hold up the division. So if I decide that I’m not gonna fight one of these guys, I’m retired (and) the belt can move on.'”

White said that the circumstances and pressures surrounding Nurmagomedov’s win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last October led to a rushed decision to walk away from the sport.

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“I just feel like he decided to retire under a ton of pressure. His dad just died, he didn’t spend time with his family because he was in camp. He got injured and had a hard time cutting weight because of the injury. He goes in, fights the fight and I think he made an emotional decision. So we’ll see how this thing plays out this weekend.”

White clearly thinks there’s a good chance Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) could walk back his decision if the right challenge presents itself and, ahead of UFC 257, the UFC boss placed the onus firmly on rival lightweights Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker to go out on fight night and give Khabib a compelling reason to return.

“I think that he still wants to fight,” said White. “He’s looking at, ‘I beat all these guys. What’s the next challenge for me? Let’s see how this thing goes this weekend and (see) if somebody looks really good.'”

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Conor McGregor feels Khabib Nurmagomedov should be stripped of title if he isn’t going to fight

Conor McGregor feels Khabib Nurmagomedov should be stripped of title if he isn’t going to fight

Conor McGregor feels Khabib Nurmagomedov should be stripped of title if he isn’t going to fight

Conor McGregor predicts Khabib Nurmagomedov will be stripped of UFC lightweight title

Conor McGregor wants the UFC lightweight title taken away from Khabib Nurmagomedov.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] doesn’t appear to be overly optimistic [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] will be coming back to the UFC.

Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC), who remains retired following his lightweight title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, recently doubled down on his lack of desire to return to the octagon for more fights. The belt still is his for now, and UFC president Dana White has claimed “The Eagle” will consider a comeback if something “spectacular” happens at UFC 257 on Saturday.

McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) meets Dustin Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) in the main event. Dan Hooker is set to meet former Bellator champ Michael Chandler in the co-main event. All four men will be looking to jockey for title position in the fight, but McGregor, who is Nurmagomedov’s biggest rival, said that while he wants a rematch of his October 2018 loss at UFC 229, he’s no longer chasing it.

“I don’t really care,” McGregor told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC 257 pre-fight news conference Thursday. “He did not say (he needed something spectacular) – Dana said that. Let’s just get through the fight. All these men are up here. There’s plenty of challenges and it’s a tough business. Things have gone on in his personal life. I don’t wish him any harm. It was in 2018 (we fought). A lot of time has passed. The world knows this fight is not over. This war is not over. This sport needs it to happen. The people need it to happen. I’m not going to chase him. That’s it. I’ll keep my calm and move on. I’m back here at the 155-pound division. I’ll show the world what’s what over time.”

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McGregor does think, however, that a decision must be made at some point regarding the belt. If he had to look into the crystal ball regarding his future, McGregor said he expects the belt to be taken from Nurmagomedov by the UFC brass in the near future.

“I would make the case if that man is continuing to dodge this and dodge the commitment of competing again, the title should be stripped and we should be engaging in a (vacant) title fight,” McGregor said. “I’m sure it will happen after this bout. I’m interested to hear the excuses or what will be said after the fight, but I predict a title strip.”

McGregor and Nurmagomedov spent a portion of this week in the same hotel on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. There was heightened awareness by UFC about ensuring they didn’t cross paths, but even if they did, McGregor said his emotions have tempered to the point that a face-to-face run-in likely wouldn’t be a dramatic issue.

“All of those (events) were 2018. It’s now 2021,” McGregor said. “What I will say is, as long as we fight again there will be no issue. If he continues to run, then I’m not sure. We’ll see what happens.”

Before a Nurmagomedov rematch can become even the slightest possibility, though, McGregor said he needs to beat Poirier for a second time at UFC 257, which takes place at Etihad Arena and airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

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After Dana White meeting, Khabib Nurmagemodeov says UFC fights ‘not a part of my plans’

Despite what Dana White had to say about their meeting, Khabib doesn’t sound too interested in who might look impressive at UFC 257.

It doesn’t sound like [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is particularly interested about which lightweight puts on the best show at UFC 257.

Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) is still recognized by the UFC as lightweight champion despite announcing his retirement nearly three months ago. At this past Saturday’s UFC on ABC 1, UFC president Dana White proclaimed that during a meeting in Abu Dhabi, Nurmagomedov expressed being open to returning to the octagon. If someone did something spectacular this Saturday, he could potentially be persuaded to fight.

On Wednesday, Nurmagomedov’s first interview since meeting with White surfaced. In a video produced by Russian outlet Sport24, Nurmagomedov would not answer specific questions about the UFC 257 main event between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier or the Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker co-headliner, and instead strongly suggested a fight is not in his plans.

“There must be some motivation, some hunger,” Nurmagomedov said in Russian, according to English subtitles. “If you’re not hungry, you know, I’ve been in sports for so many years. I’ve been doing it all my life. I have achieved almost everything in this sport, and there isn’t someone who I would like to fight now.

“I know that there are many fighters who would like to earn money, who strive for something. What should I do? A lot of people don’t want to understand my side. I don’t see that yet.”

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Nurmagomedov, who was in Abu Dhabi cornering cousin Umar Nurmagomedov for his submission win over Sergey Morozov at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 20, says he has other things taking up his time right now, including his Eagle Fighting Championships promotion. Training for a fight simply isn’t on his plate.

“If we talk about all my business projects, I have so much to do that is planned,” Nurmagomedov said. “And fights are not in these plans.

“I train for myself. The biggest thing that gives me pleasure is training. I enjoy when I wrestle, run, spar, work on pads, when I work on the punch bags. This is what I have been doing all my life, and I will continue to train constantly, as well. But if we talk about the fights, they are not a part of my plans.”

Nurmagomedov acknowledged the rampant speculation he might return and also gave a nod to the fact that he’s not shutting the door on potentially returning in the distant future. But not now.

“They constantly discuss, ‘He will come back, he will not come back,'” Nurmagomedov said. “You know, today we have 2021. A year ago it was 2020. The same time, January, and so much has happened. We don’t know what will happen in 2022, 2023, you know, so let’s not talk about it. No one knows what will happen tomorrow.

“I don’t even have any plans for the UFC in the near future. I don’t have any thoughts about preparing for the fight.”

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UFC on ESPN 20 video: Umar Nurmagomedov one-ups cousin Khabib, chokes Sergey Morozov out cold

Watch Umar Nurmagomedov one-up his cousin Khabib by scoring a second-round technical submission.

[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is the latest fighter bearing his surname to grace the UFC cage – and he’s already one-upped his cousin Khabib.

At UFC on ESPN 20 on Wednesday, Nurmagomedov (13-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his long-anticipated UFC debut after three cancellations. Nurmagomedov put on a tactical, multifaceted performance and ended the fight with a technical submission at the 3:39 mark of Round 2.

The beginning of the end for Morozov (16-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was a beautiful double-leg takedown by Nurmagomedov. When Morozov stood up, Nurmagomedov remained relentless. After he swung to the back and dumped Morozov to the ground again, Nurmagomedov worked his submission along the fence. Nurmagomedov got his hands into position, pulled Morozov backward, and put his opponent to sleep.

Following the announcement of the official decision, Nurmagomedov was joined by Khabib, who served as both cornerman and translator.

“He talked about me,” Khabib translated. “Nine years ago today, Jan. 20, 2012, I beat my opponent like this with this choke. Today, he did this. But I did it in the third round. He did it in the second round.”

Check out Nurmagomedov’s finish and subsequent interview in the videos below:

UFC on ESPN 20 took place Wednesday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The card aired on ESPN.

Forget Khabib’s decision, Michael Chandler wants UFC 257 ‘performance to speak for itself’

Michael Chandler refuses to let Khabib Nurmagomedov’s terms of a potential return enter his mind.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] has laid out his terms. If someone stands out at UFC 257 and puts on an impressive performance, he might return for his 30th fight – another title defense.

Despite having his name on the short list of potential opponents for Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC), [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] won’t allow the UFC lightweight champion’s watchful eye to enter his mind heading into Saturday’s pay-per-view co-headliner against Dan Hooker.

“I mean, a lot of times when you’re focusing on something, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy that it ends up not happening,” Chandler told reporters, inclduing MMA Junkie, at a pre-fight news conference on Tuesday. “You focus so much (on), ‘I’ve got to be spectacular. I’ve got to get a knockout. I’ve got to get a submission. Khabib is a wrestler, so maybe he wants a wrestling challenge. Let me go out and wrestle Dan Hooker, so he thinks I’m a good enough wrestler for him to challenge.’ I don’t want to think about that. I want my performance to speak for itself.”

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Chandler, 34, will make his UFC debut Saturday after a decade fighting for Bellator, but he feels free of pressure. Nurmagomedov’s return terms aside, Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) explained there is less weight on his shoulders entering a fight against someone like Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC), which is supposed to be competitive and challenging.

“You’ve followed my career for a long time,” Chandler said. “I had a lot to lose against a lot of guys where I was supposed to beat guys in the first round. There’s a lot more pressure when you’re going out and fighting a guy who you’re supposed to finish in the first round. Doing anything less than finishing him in the first round is a letdown to a lot of people. Whereas now, now I just have got to go and fight the No. 6 guy on the entire planet in my UFC debut on the co-main event of a huge pay-per-view?

“There’s not a lot of pressure in that because I’ve already cemented a great career. I’ve already enjoyed a great career. I want the fight to be able to take care of itself. Spectacular is what I go for every single time.”

UFC 257 takes place Saturday at Etihad Stadium. The main card streams on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

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