Khabib Nurmagomedov Gives His Unabashed Opinion on the Top Lightweights in the UFC
Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t one to hold his tongue when he’s asked for his opinion.
While the Russian wrecking machine might be getting ready for a showdown against Tony Ferguson at UFC 223, he was recently asked what he thought about several top ranked lightweights in his division.
Several of them could be potential opponents should he get past Ferguson on April 7 so it’s clear Nurmagomedov has already been scouting the fighters he might just face should he be victorious against Ferguson.
Here’s what Nurmagomedov had to say about some of the best lightweights in the UFC in the recent addition of ‘The Exchange’ on UFC Fight Pass.
Eddie Alvarez
“He took a lot of shots. He’s become like old.”
Justin Gaethje
“He’s a tough guy. He has to change [his] game. All the time wars, he has to change this. Because I know he’s a good wrestler. I think he has to mix wrestling and hard punches”
Dustin Poirier
“Not bad, but not a tough fight”
Kevin Lee
“He wants to be tough but he have very small heart. Very small heart. Because when he fight with Tony Ferguson, between second and third rounds, you guys can watch his face and understand who he is, everything. Face never lies. When Tony Ferguson talk about ‘this is my mat’, his face agrees with this.”
Conor McGregor
“UFC’s son or maybe Dana’s son or Dana’s nephew. Something like this.”
Now Nurmagomedov was asked to expand on his thoughts about McGregor, who still holds a title at 155 pounds — at least until April 7 when the UFC 223 main event is completed.
Should Nurmagomedov defeat Ferguson, it would seem that a fight against McGregor might be the most logical matchup considering where the Irishman stands in the division, not to mention his drawing power at the box office.
According to Nurmagomedov, none of that matters to him so if McGregor wants to fight for the lightweight title when he returns, he better become Ferguson’s biggest supporter.
“If he has the belt, of course we’re going to fight. But now with what happened to his two belts, everything is finished. I’m going to beat Tony Ferguson and then he has to beg me,” Nurmagomedov stated. “You remember his tweet? What’s he going to do?
“I’m going to take this belt, become undisputed, undefeated lightweight champ. If the UFC tries to put Conor McGregor [in a] fight with me — go in the line, you have to deserve this.”
