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Conor McGregor calls for Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch in Russia
Conor McGregor wasn’t present in Abu Dhabi for UFC 242 but obviously he was paying attention.
Not long after Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in the main event, McGregor decided to inject himself in the conversation about who will face the undefeated Russian next.
The door was opened by UFC president Dana White after he was asked about McGregor receiving a rematch with Nurmagomedov after their first fight was the biggest pay-per-view in company history.
“Tony Ferguson gets the next shot and obviously if for whatever reason Tony can’t take the fight or doesn’t want the fight at that time then we would figure out what was next but Conor would make a lot of sense,” White said.
“Conor McGregor wants that fight really badly and I’m sure the fans would want to see it. So we’ll see how this whole thing plays out.”
McGregor wasted no time seizing the moment by taking to Twitter and calling for the rematch — in Nurmagomedov’s home country.
Quote:
“Book my rematch for Moscow,” McGregor wrote on social media.
McGregor has long desired the chance to avenge his loss to Nurmagomedov after he suffered a fourth round rear naked choke to him last October at UFC 229.
According to White, former interim champion Tony Ferguson remains the next fighter in line to challenge Nurmagomedov for the title but McGregor is definitely doing his part to get the rematch instead.
White added that the UFC is getting closer to pulling the trigger on a pay-per-view card in Russia as the market continues to grow. Add to that, Nurmagomedov is a legitimate superstar in his home country, which only further fuels the possibility that he could fight at home one day soon.
As for McGregor, he hasn’t fought since he faced Nurmagomedov but he has stated recently that he hopes to book his return to the UFC Octagon before the close of 2019.
Now it looks like he’s trying to entice Nurmagomedov and the UFC into a rematch rather than sitting and waiting until after Ferguson gets his shot.
