K. Nurmagomedov (photo)
criticizes fight between C. McGregor and D. Cerrone. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @khabib_nurmagomedov
Almost a month after the impressive victory of Conor McGregor about Donald Cerrone, in January, at UFC 246, the combat is still giving something to talk about. This time, the Irishman's eternal rival and lightweight champion (up to 70,3kg.), Khabib Nurmagomedov, decided to give his opinion on the choice of the fight and made harsh criticisms of the organization, suggesting that the company envisioned the public being in favor of a rematch between the 'Notório' and the Russian after a 'predictable' victory. The statement was made to 'RT Sport'.
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“I was basing it on how well they picked their opponent for their comeback. 90% of people who watch MMA have no idea about the sport. They just watch the fight, and the UFC works very well with that. So they chose him (Donald Cerrone), and their plan worked,” said Khabib.
The Russian stated that, in the case of a former challenger, the company could have chosen a better prepared athlete, as Cerrone is not having a good time within the organization. For Nurmagomedov, everything was in place so that, after McGregor's victory, the world was led to consider that the Irishman would already be able to fight again for the lightweight belt, repeating the confrontation held in October 2018, at UFC 229.
“People started talking again about the rematch and stuff. Cerrone has lost seven of his last ten fights. A man who goes in there, loses seven times out of ten, and he's called a legend? We are talking about a possible challenger, a person who has to get in there and fight for a world title. There are other fighters who have proven themselves with their status, with their convincing victories. There are other athletes, but (the UFC) took another path, one that is more suitable for the media, for the people, but one that doesn't make sense for experts”, said the Russian.
Khabib, however, made a point of stating that he does not believe that the fight was 'sold'. The champion only stated that there were other possibilities to mark McGregor's return to the octagon.
“A large organization with a lot of history will not take risks like that. If anyone finds out the fight was fixed, it would be a huge blow to the UFC's reputation. They chose a good opponent, however, an opponent who has never won anything serious. He could keep winning, and winning, and when it came time for the big fight, he just gave up because he's mentally weak. It’s a well-organized circus,” concluded Nurmagomedov.
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