What’s the story?
The biggest fight currently set to happen inside the octagon is between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson for the UFC interim Lightweight title. The interim title bout is arguably the most talked about fight currently in the UFC. However, both the fighters have been throwing some harsh words at the UFC Lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
According to Punditarena.com, the undefeated Russian launched a verbal attack at the Irishman. He also claimed that the bout against “El Cucuy” will be the actual challenge. He told Fox Sports the following:
“I feel Tony’s tougher than Conor. Because if I take [Conor] down, fight finished. If I take down Tony, we have to fight. Take down Conor, what’s he going to do? His condition is very bad. His spirit, his heart is small. I think Tony’s tougher than Conor.”
In case you didn’t know...
Khabib Nurmagomedov is currently undefeated in his MMA career with a record 24-0. He is currently on an eight fight win streak inside the octagon. He last defeated Michael Johnson at UFC 205. Whereas, “El Cucuy” has an MMA record of 22-3. He is currently on a nine fight win streak. He last defeated former champion Rafael Dos Anjos.
The heart of the matter
The 28 year old has also criticized McGregor for never defending any of his titles. He alluded that the Irish superstar never defended any of his Cage Warriors title nor his UFC Featherweight title. He believes that the Irishman might not want to defend the UFC 155 pound title as well.
It’s a know fact that grappling is the Irishman’s achilles heel. Thus, it has prompted the Russian to claim that Ferguson is a better fighter than the champion as “El Cucuy” is a more well-rounded fighter.
What next?
Nurmagomedov and Ferguson will put their win streaks on the line and will battle each other for the 155 pound interim gold at UFC 209. Whoever wins that fight will go on to face the champion in a title unification bout later this year.
As for McGregor, he is currently taking some time off. However, it will interesting to see how he responds to the Russian’s comments.
Sportskeeda’s take
McGregor might not be the most well-rounded fighter but his brilliance cannot be undermined. He surely is not the best grappler. Though, even some highly skilled grapplers such as Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, etc have failed to utilize their superior grappling skills against him.
As Bruce Lee once said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced 1 kick 10,000 times”. It’s safe to say that “Mystic Mac” has perfected the art of knocking people out inside the octagon. He might not be the most “complete” fighter but he surely is a great fighter. However, all MMA fans would agree that “The Notorious” should start defending his belts. After all, you are not a true champion until you defend the title.
