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The Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight of UFC 229 was a historic one. It broke many records and turned out to be one of the biggest events in UFC history. Ever since the fight got over, the fans have been asking for a rematch between McGregor and Khabib.
Though there are many rumors circulating about the possibility of this rematch, nothing has been made official yet. While Donald Cerrone is being discussed as a potential next fight for McGregor, Khabib seems to be busy chasing the retired Georges St. Pierre.
No matter how these two scenarios turn out to be, the rematch between Khabib and McGregor needs to happen sooner or later. There are a handful of reasons why there is a stress on the rematch. We will be taking a look at these reasons in the list today. So without further ado, here are five reasons why we need a Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor rematch.
#5 The big money
As mentioned earlier, the UFC 229 fight between McGregor and Khabib was a historic one. It drew a huge amount of $17.2 million through the live gate and set the record for highest ever Mixed Martial Arts attendance in Nevada. It was also the biggest event in Nevada in terms of live gate.
The show had a whopping 2.4 million pay-per-view buys in the United States alone. In short, it was probably the biggest fight in UFC history in terms of revenue generated. It also acted as a huge boost for the net worth of McGregor and the net worth of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
A rematch between these two is bound to be bigger. The attendance will be more, the money will be more and it is bound to break all the existing records. From a revenue perspective, there are no reasons why UFC shouldn’t book a rematch between McGregor and Khabib.
#4 McGregor’s track record with rematches
A good portion of the MMA fans tagged Conor McGregor as a hype train when he lost to Nate Diaz back in UFC 196. McGregor was in a great position prior to this defeat having stopped Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to become the UFC Featherweight champion. But once Diaz made McGregor tap out, everyone thought that the Irishman’s victory against Aldo was a fluke.
McGregor, however, proved everyone wrong in the rematch with Diaz. He came out as a completely different fighter in the rematch and had a perfect plan to get the better of Diaz. It paid off as McGregor won the rematch via a majority decision.
The current scenario is something similar. Everyone is questioning the talent of McGregor and it is a perfect setting for McGregor to prove everyone wrongs just like how he has done throughout his career.
#3 Chance for Khabib to cement his spot
For McGregor, it is important to prove everyone wrong. For Khabib Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, it is important to prove that his win over McGregor was not a fluke. Considering how dominant he was during the fight, many might not doubt Khabib’s skill-set, but at the same time, there were a lot of factors that worked in favor of the Russian.
McGregor was stepping into the cage after a long gap of two years and ring rust would’ve been a major factor that made McGregor fall. Similarly, McGregor is someone who learns from his mistakes meaning that he is most dangerous in a rematch and this was evident in the Nate Diaz case.
So if Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to cement his spot on top of the food chain and dethrone McGregor permanently, he needs to get another win over McGregor.
#2 The possibility of a trilogy fight
If the rematch happens and Conor McGregor manages to get a win over Khabib Nurmagomedov, then it will set up one of the biggest trilogy fights in the history of UFC. Currently, Khabib is considered to be unstoppable and his undefeated record backs this up. But if McGregor manages to end this run, the entire narrative will shift.
The third fight between these two will be unpredictable and at the same time, it will give a legitimate answer on who is better.
And just like the potential second fight, this one is also bound to break many records and generate some huge revenue for UFC, Khabib and Conor McGregor. From McGregor’s perspective, he would have two high profile trilogy fights to look forward to since fans are eagerly waiting for the Nate Diaz showdown as well. Both fights are so big that he could even retire from the sport after these two showdowns.
#1 The rivalry is far from over
The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov was far from over at UFC 229. In fact, it only worsened after the fight ended. Khabib jumped the cage and attacked Dillon Danis, while McGregor was also involved in the brawl that broke out. The bad blood between the two parties is still there and a rematch could settle it once and for all.
It would be hard for UFC to contain all the people from both the sides and it should be done carefully as well. But this tension between McGregor’s team and Khabib’s team will only escalate the excitement for the fight.
The build-up towards the rematch will also be exciting considering how the first fight ended. Altogether, UFC can milk out a lot of mainstream coverage and revenue from the Khabib vs. McGregor rematch.
Do you think this fight should happen? Do you agree with the points raised? Let us know in the comments below.
