Conor McGregor: Khabib Nurmagomedov ‘can run, but he cannot hide’ from rematch

Conor McGregor may have lost the first battle against Khabib Nurmagomedov, but the former UFC champion thinks the war is far from over.

In his first interview since his UFC 246 comeback was made official, McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) told TheMacLife.com he thinks Nurmagomedov is scared of a potential rematch.

“(Nurmagomedov) is trembling,” McGregor said. “That man is trembling. He doesn’t want it. He doesn’t want it. You get it. He’s trying not to lose it again … I just smell (expletive). That’s all it is. He’s afraid, and that’s it. Everyone wants it. The boss wants it – Dana (White) wants it. We all want it. He can run, but he cannot hide. I look forward to it.”

The two fighters squared off in October 2018 at UFC 229, where Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) submitted McGregor in the fourth round. The finish was quickly put on the back burner when Nurmagomedov jumped into the crowd and initiated a post-fight melee with McGregor’s corner.

Up until the finish, McGregor thinks he was winning the majority of the fight. The Irishman pointed to a statistical advantage in the striking department and said Nurmagomedov hadn’t done much with his takedowns prior to the finishing sequence.

“In my mind, I won Round 1,” McGregor said. “I outstruck him 3-1. OK, he had position on that mat – but I outstruck him 3-1. What did he do in the first round? Second round, look at the lackadaisical approach I had to him. He was just running around the outside of the cage. He got that lucky shot and had a great second round. What happened after that? I was winning the third round, (and) even in the opening exchanges in the fourth round. I was winning the fourth round up until that trip.”

Another factor that led to his defeat, McGregor said, was a poor training camp. McGregor pointed at himself and blamed his disrespect toward those around him for his UFC 229 demise.

“That (loss) was after a horrendous camp where I was so disrespectful to the people that believe in me,” McGregor said. “I was disrespectful to my team with my lack of commitment, and I still went out and done that.

“Then, I also landed a blow on his blood brother and his cousin, so we’re happy with it. It’ll come back to him. Like I said, he can run but he can’t hide … No, no, no: It’s far from (over).”

McGregor returns to action at UFC 246 against Donald Cerrone in a welterweight main event. UFC 246 takes place Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.