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What's the story?
Arguably MMA's realest and most intense rivalry is here for the long haul, according to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In a recent interview with ESPN Nurmagomedov was asked about his infamous feud with Conor McGregor and whether he expects to meet the Irishman again inside the octagon...
"It will never be finished. Ever. Even if we see [each other] somewhere, we're going to fight, 100 percent. It doesn't matter if someone go to jail or something like this. I'm not scared about this. ...They go to hospital and we go to police. That's it."
In case you didn't know...
McGregor and Khabib have both been out of action since they met at UFC 229 in late 2018 - both men picked up lengthy suspensions for their involvement in an ugly post-fight brawl.
However, with Khabib slated to meet Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 242 next weekend and McGregor recently revealing his plans to return imminently, it seems as though the fierce rivals may be on a collision course once again.
The heart of the matter...
Despite Khabib's claims that his rivalry with Conor will never be buried, the Dagestani fighter was also keen to point out that he doesn't currently see McGregor as being worthy of another title fight...
"This guy [McGregor] have to come back and make nine- or 10-fight win streak. Then we gonna fight. Maybe people who watch this interview, they think, 'Oh, he think about this, but when UFC ask this guy to fight Conor for millions of dollars, this guy is gonna take it.' No. Fight. Come back and show who are you.
"Dana [White], no need to call me. Why he have to call me about this fight? We talk with Dana sometimes, he's a good guy, but don't talk with me about this crazy fight. I want to fight real guys -- Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, maybe if one of the greatest athletes ever, Georges St-Pierre, wants to fight. I want to fight those guys. I don't want to fight with a guy who never wins."
What's next?
As things stand, all eyes will be on UFC 242 as Khabib defends his belt against Dustin Poirier. It is expected that any announcements regarding Conor's future will be dependant on the outcome of that fight. However, in the long run it seems truly inevitable that these two fierce enemies will meet inside the cage again.
