With no signs emerging of an end to the Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. media circus, many believe that The Irishman will soon get his wish in landing a spot inside the squared circle opposite the boxing legend.
Speculation persists that both men could meet as soon as sometime in the second quarter of this year when McGregor’s son will have been born. While fans and pundits speculate and hypothesise on fight outcomes in the proposed boxing match, a number of UFC fighters and their coaches anxiously wait for the mercurial Dubliner’s next move.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson will collide this Saturday night at UFC 209’s co-headline event. Both men get an opportunity at snatching the UFC’s interim lightweight title, which should set one man up with the accolade of being next in line to fight the 155-pound division champion, Conor McGregor.
With such uncertainty surrounding the intentions of the champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach [Javier Mendez] sees no other viable scenario for McGregor. Should he land a fight with Mayweather and choose to avoid “The Eagle” (assuming Nurmagomedov gets past Tony Ferguson at ‘209) “The Notorious” must relinquish the title. Mendes recently told StarSport that this would be the right thing for the champion to do:
“I think there’s a chance (of him fighting Nurmagomedov). Of course, anything is possible. I think one thing, he’s either going to have to fight Khabib or he’s going to have let the title go. One way or another, it’s going to have to happen, right? He’s either going to have to leave the division and go somewhere else. Or, he’s going to have to fight Khabib.”
Mendes’s rationale behind his comments is one that makes complete sense given the introduction of an interim title:
“Because the interim title holder has to fight the lightweight champion [conor mcgregor], that’s just how it is.”
