Khabib Nurmagedov, currently the #1 ranked Lightweight contender in the UFC, has issued an ultimatum to the UFC about leaving the company if he’s not given a title shot at UFC 206. Khabib appeared on Tuesday's episode of The Luke Thomas show on SiriusXM, in what turned out to be a fiery outburst.
Much like Jose Aldo before him, Khabib doesn’t appear to be too happy about the Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor fight being booked for UFC 205, calling it a “bullshit match.” It was widely known and reported that Khabib was being primed to face Alvarez for the title at UFC 205 before Conor came knocking.
Khabib accused Dana white of manipulation by saying that “Dana little bit played game and used my name, you know? I [will] never forget this.”, he blasted the UFC for banking on Conor McGregor’s star power and insisted that he held power within the Russian MMA community as well. He was quoted as saying:
“UFC thinks Conor has power? Ireland only has like 6 million people. I am from Russia, 150 million people. If the UFC don’t give me the title fight after this fight, I’m going to show how I have power in Russia and I know if I don’t fight for the title next fight, UFC will never ever go to Russia.”
Also, like Jose Aldo, Khabib has stated that he will “never fight in UFC” if he isn’t given the title fight at UFC 206. Khabib also sympathised with Aldo's situation referring to him as a "great champion" and saying that Aldo deserved to be treated with much more respect by the UFC.
Khabib is facing #10 Lightweight contender Michael Johnson at UFC 205, a match that he sees as a mere stepping stone towards the title shot that he has been chasing for years. Khabib was quoted as saying that while he respected Michael Johnson, he would “finish Michael Johnson in this fight."
Khabib’s record currently stands at 23 wins and 0 losses, with 7 of those wins coming in the UFC. Despite having a career plagued with injuries and setbacks, Khabib has managed to keep his undefeated streak up till now, having defended it against formidable opponents such as Rafael Dos Anjos and Abel Trujillo.
You can listen to Khabib’s full interview below:
