McGregor Hopes of Khabib Rematch Dashed Again

Few days after Conor McGregor teased a fight announcement against one of his biggest MMA rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, his plans have been dealt a major blow. The Irishman has been gunning for a return to the ring against his Russian counterpart, after falling to a disappointing defeat in their previous fight.

However, his hopes have been dashed again, with Khabib’s outspoken father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov revealing he wants his son to call time on his MMA career after only two more fights. Could this be a matter of “Dad Luck” for Khabib?

McGregor has not fought a single match since his disappointing loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov last October, and it’s looking increasingly likely that his fighting status will remain the same.

The Notorious, as he’s fondly called by his ‘Stans’, has been eyeing a return to the octagon by year’s end in an attempt to avenge his October 2019 loss to Khabib. He lost the lightweight division UFC 229 grudge match in the fourth round via submission.

The Irishman’s call for a shot at redemption has all fallen on deaf ears with the 155lb division moving forward in his absence and Khabib successfully defending his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 earlier this month.

That huge victory against Poirier, which bagged him a huge paycheck, has paved the way for an end-of-year blockbuster clash against Tony Ferguson, in a bout scheduled for a staggering four rounds.

Another victory for the Russian maestro will extend his unbeaten streak to a whopping 29 fights, just a single fight shy of a perfect 30-0 record.

Now, Khabib’s father Abdulmanap has pointed out that his son will likely end his illustrious MMA career after his 30th professional fight, saying it would be the most perfect way to end it. His 30th and potentially final MMA fight are scheduled to come up against future UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre.

“For Khabib, 30-0 is enough. Regarding his last fight, then, of course, we would like his final title defense to be in Moscow”, Abdulmanap said.

If Russia’s first UFC champion follows up with his Dad’s plans, we will likely see him hang up his gloves within the next year. For McGregor, it means there will be no chance for revenge as his plans for a return will be gone up in smoke.

Written by: Arum Victor