Khabib Nurmagomedov has big plans for the lightweight division and put Tony Ferguson and Conor McGregor on notice this week.
Speaking with Fox Sports, Khabib Nurmagomedov said he plans to defeat Tony Ferguson before erasing Conor McGregor’s legacy. “Conor has to be careful because I’m going to smash Tony Ferguson and after I’m going to smash Conor McGregor,” Nurmagomedov said. “I think after this one, people will begin to forget about this guy. But now, everybody talks about him, but it’s okay. For me, it’s okay.”
The Russian touted his record and went as far as to compare himself to one of boxing’s all time greatest fighters. “Floyd Mayweather is one of the greatest boxers, but I think I am the Floyd Mayweather of MMA,” he said. “I am 24-0, I can be 26-0 – 10-0 in the UFC – undefeated and undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion. I want to become the greatest lightweight ever. This is what I want.”
Nurmagomedov will face Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 for the Interim Lightweight Title.
Cervantes Analysis: Nurmagomedov is a remarkable fighter and is long overdue for a title shot. That being said, the reason it took so long for him to get to this point is the fact that he’s suffered so many injuries and those injuries prevented him from building consistent momentum to warrant a title shot. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed his style and am not a huge fan of Ferguson so I’m favoring Nurmagomedov to win this fight en route to also winning the lightweight title against McGregor.
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-Anderson Silva told MMA Fighting he wants to fight Conor McGregor “for the martial arts challenge.”
-According to Bloody Elbow, Glover Texeira said that he doesn’t think Jon Jones likes the UFC.
-Nate Diaz told the LA Times that he applied for a boxing license because he’s “been put on the shelf by the UFC.”
-The Tito Ortiz-Chael Sonnen main event drew 2.2 million viewers. Also, 2.0 million viewers tuned in for the Paul Daley-Brennan Ward co-main event. The entire three-hour telecast averaged 1.5 million viewers.
NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: THURSDAY NEWS DIGEST 1/26: Cormier vs. Johnson for the title booked for UFC 210 on Apr. 8 (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)
(Jonathan Cervantes has been an avid fan of MMA since 2009 when he saw GSP vs. B.J. Penn 2. He has practiced tae kwon do, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling in the past and is currently a student majoring in entrepreneurship at the University of San Francisco. He writes the MMATorch News Digest on Fridays and Saturdays. Michael Hiscoe writes MMATorch News Digests Sunday through Thursday each week.)
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