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Khabib Nurmagomedov created history after he submitted Conor McGregor in the fourth round at UFC 229 to retain his UFC Lightweight Championship. Nurmagomedov became the first UFC fighter to beat Conor McGregor at the Lightweight division.
Conor McGregor has not competed in the Lightweight division ever since. However, he made his much anticipated comeback at the Welterweight division against Donald Cerrone. He won the fight via TKO under 40 seconds into the first round. McGregor would later call retirement from MMA and remains out of competition. Since then, Khabib Nurmagomedov has successfully defended the Lightweight Championship against Dustin Poirier. He submitted Dustin Poirier in the third round in a title unification bout at UFC 242.
Coach Javier Mendez claims Conor McGregor is the toughest challenge for Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach Javier Mendez recently reaffirmed, as he has repeatedly in the past, that among the top 5 lightweights in the UFC, Conor McGregor is the toughest challenge for Khabib Nurmagomedov.
"It’s still Conor, even though people may disagree with me," Mendez said. "I think Conor is the toughest fight to date. Conor was dangerous. Any time you let Conor unleash any striking he could put you out." Mendez continued, "You let Conor get in his groove, he would have done some amazing damage. He’s still one of the guys I would do more homework on."
Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to take on Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in a title unification bout for the undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship. Earlier, Khabib was scheduled to take on Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. However, due to travel restrictions in light of the coronavirus, Khabib Nurmagomedov had to withdraw from the fight. Both Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje accepted the fight on short notice, for the interim Lightweight Championship. Gaethje performed exceptionally well against Tony Ferguson, and out-struck the former interim Champion. Justin Gaethje won via TKO in the fifth round, and will take on Khabib Nurmagomedov next.
Gaethje has been long considered as the fighter who can dethrone Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov's sharpest skill as a fighter is his grappling prowess. Khabib has dominated all the fighters on the ground, and remains undefeated in his MMA career. However, there's a reason to believe that Justin Gaethje can match equally well against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Justin Gaethje is a Division 1 All-American wrestler, and boasts an impeccable resume. Gaethje is a two-time state wrestling Champion, and carries devastating power in his hands. He is an equally brilliant striker. Gaethje has finished all his opponents inside the UFC. If there's somebody who is a worthy successor to Conor McGregor's knockout power at the Lightweight division, it's Justin Gaethje.
So despite a solid wrestling background and disastrous knockout power, Coach Javier Mendez believes Conor McGregor is more dangerous than Justin Gaethje. It would be a crime not to include Tony Ferguson in the conversation about fighters who can dethrone Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, there's a reason to believe why Conor McGregor might always remain the toughest challenge for Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Why is Conor McGregor the toughest challenge for Khabib Nurmagomedov?
There are several factors why Conor McGregor will remain as the toughest challenge for Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor's rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov is as personal as it gets. Both the fighters hate each other, and while Conor can't wait to get his rematch against Nurmagomedov, the Lightweight Champion is hell bent on not giving Conor a rematch after remaining inactive for more than an year.
It's this perosonal rivalry between both the fighters which makes Conor McGregor his toughest challenge till date. There's a reason to believe that Khabib's huge popularity has a lot to do with his big over McGregor. The drama, and the pressure surrounding a fight involving McGregor always adds extra pressure on fighters. Both Khabib and McGregor are equally famous, and can shake the PPV stands if the face each other again. However, its the personal rivalry between both the fighters that is probably more than fighting by following rules inside the UFC octagon
Another interesting thing to note is Conor McGregor's knockout power. McGregor is an impeccable striking. He has a solid striking game, and is a knockout artist. McGregor can sleep any opponent in the Lightweight division, and has a very underrated ground game. If we boil down to one thing that makes McGregor dangerous than any other fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov has ever faced, it is McGregor's punching power. McGregor is also the only fighter to have beaten Khabib on the judges' scorecards. McGregor made a great comeback in the third round of the fight, and won the round in all the judge's scorecards.
McGregor is difficult to predict and has a wide varity of shots in his arsenal. He uses leg kicks, and combination of punches. While his left hand is stone cold lethal, McGregor showed sharp jabs against Eddie Alvarez before leaving UFC to pursuit boxing.
The personal rivalry between both the fighters that has become more than just "business" makes McGregor a real challenge for Khabib Nurmagomedov. Conor's ability to knock his opponents out, and pick his spots while striking is something that can create problems for any fighter in the Lightweight division, including Khabib Nurmagomedov.
