Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t interested in hearing about Conor McGregor.
“The Eagle” battles Tony Ferguson this Saturday night (March 4) for the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title. As far as Nurmagomedov is concerned, he’s fighting for the “real” 155-pound championship at UFC 209.
McGregor is the reigning UFC lightweight title holder, who is out of action until his baby is born. Despite talks about a mega fight with boxing icon Floyd Mayweather, UFC President Dana White said “Notorious” will likely meet the winner of Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson in a unification bout.
During the UFC 209 open workouts, Nurmagomedov spoke to the media (via MMAJunkie.com). “The Eagle” didn’t hold back on how he feels in regards to the legitimacy of McGregor’s reign:
“100 percent I think this is (the) real championship fight. I don’t care about (McGregor). You guys know Uncle Dana (White) (gave) him (this) gift. He jump(ed) over all contenders, and he (fought) for the title. He caught him a couple times, he goes down, Eddie Alvarez – this fight for me is a fake fight. I don’t think about him. We have (a) real fight now. This is like the people’s main event. This is one of the biggest fights of 2017, of all time in the UFC. I think about other guys? Of course not. I’m going to make my win-streak a 25-win streak, take (the) belt, become the new UFC lightweight and undisputed and undefeated champion, and after we’ll see what happens.”
UFC 209 takes place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET. The main event of UFC 209 features a welterweight title rematch between champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson.
The card also showcases the middleweight debut of Rashad Evans. He’ll share the Octagon with Daniel Kelly. Heavyweight bruisers Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt are going to be trading leather as well.
