Khabib: Mac Ain’t Back, Fought Washed-Up Cerrone

Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

“This is not real championship fight. But if we talk about drama and money, of course this is good.” — Khabib Nurmagomedov

Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, is gearing up to fight longtime rival and hater of tiramisu, Tony Ferguson, in the upcoming UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, which takes place on Sat., April 18, 2020 inside Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

If “The Eagle” emerges victorious, the promotion is likely to book him for a championship rematch against former 155-pound titleholder, Conor McGregor, though Nurmagomedov doesn’t understand how beating a washed-up “Cowboy” at UFC 246 makes “Notorious” a legitimate title title contender.

“Cowboy always lose all his main event fights, always,” Nurmagomedov told TMZ Sports. “I don’t remember when he win. The last 10 fights, I think he lose six or seven fights. He’s not high-level lightweight or welterweight right now. He’s not. Of course he has big name, but his time is finished.”

McGregor (22-4), who competed at welterweight for his Cerrone comeback fight in “Sin City,” was submitted by Nurmagomedov in the UFC 229 championship headliner back in late 2018 and to date, has just one win as a UFC lightweight.

“Conor picked a very good opponent,” Nurmagomedov continued. “Now, he come back and beat Cowboy, who lose [seven of his last 11 fights] and then they talk about, ‘Okay, this guy’s come back.’ No, he has to fight with really tough opponents like Justin Gaethje or something like this. He has to come back to lightweight division, he has to cut weight. This is just my opinion.”

He might want to check with manager Ali Abdelaziz on that one…