Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh reacts to Khabib's retirement decision

Conor McGregor's head coach John Kavanagh
Conor McGregor's head coach John Kavanagh

Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh's reaction to Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement decision is just another indicator of how badly 'Team McGregor' wants that rematch against the undefeated Russian.

A couple of days ago, UFC president Dana White had a discussion with Khabib in Abu Dhabi about the future of his fighting career. White revealed that although Nurmagomedov stays retired, for now, he wants to see how the main and co-main event athletes perform at UFC 257.

According to White, if any of the four guys competing in those two fights does something spectacular, it might convince Khabib to return to the octagon.

"Khabib might be interested in returning if guys do 'something special' coming up... He would never tie up the division or keep the belt away from anyone else... If these guys can do something special, Khabib will fight them," said Dana White.

In response to White's statement, John Kavanagh took to Twitter to share his excitement at the fact that there's still a chance for the high-profile rematch between McGregor and Nurmagomedov to take place.

Will the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch ever come to fruition?

At UFC 257, which is set to take place next week at the Yas Islands in Abu Dhabi, Conor McGregor is set to take on Dustin Poirier in the main event while Dan Hooker takes on newcomer Michael Chandler in the co-main event. A special performance by any of these four fighters might earn them a fight against the undefeated and undisputed UFC lightweight champion.

Conor McGregor has been gunning for the rematch against Khabib since he lost to the Russian at UFC 229 back in 2018. However, Nurmagomedov seemed reluctant to fight an opponent he's already dominated and beaten inside the octagon.

However, a big win against Poirier, who is the #2 ranked lightweight in the world right now, could earn McGregor a shot at redemption against the man who handed him the biggest defeat of his career. Heading into the fight against Poirier, the former two-division champion has promised a spectacular performance and claimed he'll knock Poirier out inside 60 seconds of the opening round.

Will the rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor ever take place? If yes, who will get their hand raised in the fight? Sound off in the comments section.

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