- Conor McGregor is once again calling for a rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
- After Nurmagomedov defeated Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi to continue his reign as lightweight champion, McGregor tweeted his request for a rematch, suggesting that it take place in Moscow.
- McGregor isn’t currently first in line for a title shot against Nurmagomedov, and there’s a number of reasons to believe the fight won’t happen yet, but the money might be too good for the UFC to pass up.
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Conor McGregor still wants his rematch.
Just hours after Khabib Nurmagomedov retained his lightweight title with a submission win over Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi, McGregor posted a tweet reiterating his desire for another shot against the undefeated champion.
Making McGregor’s proposal even more intriguing was where he wants the rematch to take place: Moscow.
Book my rematch for Moscow.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 7, 2019
A rematch between Nurmagomedov and McGregor is the biggest potential fight that UFC can book, and putting it in Moscow would be an extremely enticing proposition for president Dana White. That said, there's reason to think that the UFC might decide to hold back on the rematch for immediate future.
First and foremost, McGregor hasn't fought since losing to Nurmagomedov in October 2018. He even went so far as announce what turned out to be a short-lived retirement from the fight game.
Since then, McGregor has been tailed by legal troubles, most recently for punching an older man at a pub reportedly after refusing a shot of the Irish fighter's Proper No. 12 whiskey.
In addition to his troubles outside the octagon, McGregor has also met resistance from other fighters in the UFC, who don't believe he deserves another shot at the title.
Nurmagomedov himself challenged McGregor to win a fight before getting a shot at a rematch, adding that fellow lightweight Tony Ferguson would be in line for a title fight first.
But despite the obstacles in place, the money at stake with a rematch between McGregor and Nurmagomedov might be too good for UFC president Dana White to pass up. After their first fight ended in a brawl that spilled out into the crowd, and with their feud still ongoing with traded barbs on social media, the rematch would be must-see television for even casual fans of the sport.
The fight would almost undoubtedly break records for pay-per-view buys for the company, and in Moscow, it would be a true spectacle, with McGregor serving as the ultimate villain and Nurmagomedov fighting as the hometown hero for the first time in his UFC career.
For now, it still feels like there's a lot of work to be done before we see the Nurmagomedov-McGregor rematch, but between the money at stake and the drama and attention the fight would bring to UFC, chances are White finds a way to make it happen eventually.
- Read more:
How Conor McGregor went from Dublin plumber to the king of combat sports