Conor McGregor coach John Kavanagh has said that he would 'love' the opportunity to visit Moscow after UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov's father outlined that he would be open to a Russian rematch with 'The Notorious'.
The first match-up between the two fighters in October of last year was the most watched mixed martial arts bout in history but some might say it came at a substantial cost, as the reputations of both McGregor and Nurmagomedov were sullied somewhat by some of their pre and post-fight antics, ranging from attacking a bus in an underground car lot to leaping from the UFC Octagon to attack members of the opposition training staff.
Also on rt.com 'If McGregor wants it, Moscow is waiting': Khabib's father says UFC champion wants rematch on Russian soil in 2020However, despite all of that controversy the door remains open to reignite what is one of the most heated rivalries in mixed martial arts history after Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father and trainer of the UFC lightweight champion, stated that not only would he welcome the prospect of a rematch between his son and McGregor but that he would like it to take place in Moscow.
"If McGregor wants it, then Moscow is waiting for him," he said to YouTube channel Zhivina100. "He said once that he has more fans here than Khabib. We want to host him in Moscow, he is welcome – we are waiting."
Challenge accepted, it would seem, after a glimpse at John Kavanagh's Twitter account. The SBG Ireland head coach has accumulated an impressive amount of air miles as he travels the globe to corner his army of fighters so a trip to Moscow certainly wouldn't be outside of the norm for the Irishman.
Just last weekend, Kavanagh cornered 16 of his fighters at the Bellator event in Dublin, Ireland (his fighters went 13-3), before jetting off to Copenhagen for the UFC event which followed hours later (his fighters went 1-1).
Also on rt.com Khabib ring switch: Russian boxing chief gives update on chances of UFC champ making crossoverA rematch between McGregor and Khabib in Russia would be a blockbuster bout and the signs are very much possible that it could happen, as the UFC have held several events in Russia since making their debut in the market last year.
No fight could be bigger for that region, however, than the McGregor v. Khabib sequel, but at what cost would that come?