The nail-biting rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov remains the most lucrative feud to ever take place under the UFC PPV, although both men just competed once. Unlike many other iconic rivalries, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov never rematched and don’t seem likely to ever do it.
However, the re-match could have possibly shattered all the past records of the promotion. Dana White and Conor McGregor demanded to hist it on umpteen occasions but ‘The Eagle’ didn’t approve of it.
Following the infamous UFC 229 clash in October 2018 against McGregor, Nurmagomedov defended his title twice against Poirier and Gaethje respectively before hanging up his gloves. Khabib Nurmagomedov had retired with a 29-0 professional record to never turn back again.
Although several media persons have enquired Nurmagomedov about the potential rematch against McGregor, he had a very specific reason to avoid it.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov Wanted Conor McGregor To Prove His Worth
After winning the 155 lbs title against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, Conor McGregor went on to face Floyd Mayweather in a lucrative boxing clash. After suffering a TKO loss, ’Notorious’ vacated his UFC belt and remained out of the fight game for a brief period.
In the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov climbed the ladders, dominated all his opponents, and grabbed the lightweight belt. Upon returning to the UFC, Conor McGregor challenged Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 and lost.
Following the fight, team members of both fighters went into a brawl which urged the Las Vegas Police to step in. It planted the seeds for a perfect rematch which never happened.
When Khabib Nurmagomedov was asked about it, he had a very clear response. In a media interaction, he said, “As for a rematch, to fight for a belt in the UFC, I remember I had something like nine or 10 fights. If he wins 10 fights in a row, then that’s completely possible.”
Nurmagomedov didn’t seem very greedy about financial gains and despite the money offered, he didn’t let McGregor get another shot at him. Several MMA fans wanted to see the rematch, especially McGregor’s fans but that never happened.
