‘Bring his Irish team in November and finish our business’: Khabib sets date for McGregor showdown
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to renew his rivalry with Conor McGregor at the UFC’s November event inside the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
READ MORE: Conor McGregor avoids jail, pleads guilty to disorderly conduct
The outcome of Thursday’s legal proceedings in New York, where Conor McGregor avoided jail after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct for his role in the backstage melee at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center in April, means that the Irishman is now free to move forward with his fighting career - and his chief rival, current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has named the venue and the date.
Upon hearing the news of Conor’s settlement, @TeamKhabib just issued me the following statement: "Glad that he stayed out of jail, because I wouldn’t be able to punish him in that case. Now he needs to bring his Irish team to MSG in November and finish our business."
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) July 26, 2018
Writing on Twitter, Nurmagomedov said: “Glad that he stayed out of jail, because I wouldn’t be able to punish him in that case. Now he needs to bring his Irish team to [Madison Square Garden] in November and finish our business.”
McGregor last appeared for the UFC in the same venue, defeating Eddie Alvarez inside two rounds for the 155lb title which currently sits around the Russian’s waist. McGregor, however, did not lose the title, instead being stripped for inactivity in the aftermath of his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather last year.
However, the date which Nurmagomedov suggested (November 3) is unlikely to be the actual date of the fight, with reports suggesting the UFC are targeting an October 6 date in Las Vegas or December 30 in the same city.
Due to the very public rivalry between the two outstanding lightweight fighters, whenever the bout does go ahead it will most likely be the most watched event in the company’s 25 year history.
