K. Nurmagomedov wants to fight twice in 2019. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @khabib_nurmagomedov
For those who miss seeing Khabib Nurmagomedov in action, the wait seems to be nearing the end. The manager of the lightweight champion (under 70,3kg), Ali Abdelaziz, announced that the athlete revealed his desire to have two fights this year. The information was disclosed in a recent interview with 'ESPN'. Khabib was suspended for nine months from MMA after the fight at UFC 229.
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“He gave me very specific instructions. He wants to fight in the event on September 7th (UFC 242) and again in December. And, if Georges St-Pierre can resolve his issues with the UFC by April, that's the deal. He wants to fight in April,” said Ali.
The businessman also commented that his athlete's intention is to maintain his activity in the division, as there are many quality fighters who deserve a chance at the belt.
“The lightweight division has a lot of challengers and we want to keep the category moving. He (Khabib) has already done this before, when he faced Edson Barbosa, To the fifth e Conor McGregor, in less than a year”
When asked about a possible rematch against his rival, Conor McGregor, Abdelaziz was emphatic in saying that the Irishman has to deserve a new title fight.
“To be honest, Conor has to come back and have a fight against someone like Justin gaethje, Tony Ferguson ou Donald Cerrone. He is not a worthy opponent at the moment”, concluded the businessman.
Ultimate is negotiating the return of the Russian champion for September 7th, at UFC Abu Dhabi. The idea is to marry a fight against Dustin poirier for the unification of the category title. Poirier won the interim lightweight belt after defeating the featherweight champion (up to 65,7 kg.), Max Holloway, in April this year.
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