It Looks Like Conor McGregor Will Fight Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 229

Mixed martial arts fans might have their prayers answered in December when the bear-wrestling Dagestani, Khabib Nurmagomedov, is rumoured to face off against the “Notorious,” Conor Mcgregor.

This week, Mcgregor sent a thinly veiled threat to Khabib in an Instagram post with Dillon Danis, which he captioned: “your skull or your limbs.” To which Khabib casually replied, “I can’t believe we’re going to fight, because I really want this guy. Make him humble, a little bit teach him, and not only smash but change his face.”

The plot thickened when Conor’s Ireland-based lawyer Graham Kenny posted an Instagram Story of a ticket to Las Vegas, with the caption “It’s on…” Allegedly that refers to October 5—which is the day before UFC 229 is scheduled to kick off in Las Vegas.

When asked about the increasing speculation about the fight, Khabib's manager told Ariel Helwani, “To be honest… Conor would be much safer in jail.”

Although we don’t know where exactly when this war is going to take place, we do know the UFC has six pay-per-views left in 2018. Conor told TMZ, “I’d love to fight in [Madison Square] Garden again, but I believe this one is in Las Vegas.” Which leaves both, UFC 229 or UFC 232 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena up for speculation.

This week, Khabib’s manager Ali Abdelaziz told MMA Fighting, “I’m not gonna overplay my hand and they need to be fair. If you want to make this fight happen, it’s about money. Go ahead and make $100 million. If Khabib can make $10 million, I’m happy.’

The hype behind the fight is the result of a spat that culminated with Conor’s hooligan attack on a bus at the Barclays Centre during UFC 223.

It all began with Khabib’s confrontation with Conor during the weigh-ins before UFC 205, where Khabib noticed the way Conor was bullying Tyrone Woodley and Eddie Alvarez, before interrupting him, “You want to say something? Hey? I will smash your face!” A scuffle broke out and security broke apart the two fighters.

When asked about the altercation in a press conference Khabib said, “After my weigh in, he [stared] at me and I said, ‘What?!’ I’m different. I’m living in the street. I have a lot of fight in the street. When I come to professional, I stop this because I can hurt somebody. But I have a lot of experience.”

This year, before UFC 223, Khabib ran into Conor’s training partner, Artem Lobov, who had made derogatory comments about Khabib prior to his championship fight. Khabib confronted Artem backstage and said, “Don’t say my name, you understand me? Say it to my face…You said I’m a pussy? I’m asking you, say it to my face!” Artem denied making the comments and was slapped in the face. Amid escalating tension, Artem was forced to leave his hotel.

A few days later, Conor flew to New York and gained access to the backstage area of the Barclays Centre, where Khabib was onboard a bus. Conor, along with his entourage, proceeded to hurl railings and bins through the bus' windows which led to several fighters inside the bus getting injured before the event.

“Of course they know a lot of security here [and] the media, it’s going to be big. They come with 30 people.” said Khabib to Anatomy of a Fighter after the attack. “Why don’t they send me a message, like a location, I'm gonna come. Whatever you want, doesn’t matter. Ireland. New York. Moscow. Tell me. Where?”

Either way, the fight between McGregor, the flamboyant Irish mobster and Khabib, the Russian warlord, has conjured up an atmosphere of epic war.

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