Chuck Liddell: Khabib worried about being beat

UFC legend Chuck Liddell thinks there might be an explanation behind the fact that UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov does not want to grant Conor McGregor a rematch. In an interview with talkSPORT, “The Ice Man” Liddell speculated if Khabib might be worried about McGregor’s growing skill set.

According to Liddell, “The Notorious” McGregor exposed Khabib in their 2018 clash. The fight ultimately ended with Khabib submitting McGregor in the fourth round and sparking one of UFC’s biggest scandals, after Khabib jumped out of the cage and attacked McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis.

If they would run it back, Liddell thinks McGregor might have the blueprint to defeat the Dagestani champion:

“In the last fight, I think [McGregor] did what he needed to do to have a shot at beating Khabib,” Liddell said. “The problem was he was tired by the third round and he had nothing left behind his punches. He got Khabib a little tired and he had a chance to throw and he just had nothing left to knock him out.

“So, if he can make it through those first two rounds and still have that snap he’s got, he can take a shot at him. It doesn’t seem like Khabib wants to give him a shot… and that doesn’t make sense unless Khabib is worried about getting beat. Maybe Khabib is worried about Conor getting better and beating him, I don’t know.”

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Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor 2?

Khabib is still undefeated in his MMA career, with 28 straight wins. He was set for another title defence against Tony Ferguson on April 19 at UFC 249, but the match-up fell through for the fifth time. Ferguson is now scheduled to face Justin Gaethje in an interim title bout at the re-booked UFC 249 on May 9.

The current pandemic has caused a major disruption in UFC’s plans, but UFC President Dana White is dead set on returning to their normal schedule. Because of the pandemic and Ferguson vs. Gaethje, it is highly unlikely that we will see Khabib vs. McGregor in 2020.

Instead, we will probably see Khabib facing the winner of Ferguson vs. Gaethje in August-September, while McGregor might be returning for a superfight in June.