Khabib: I’ll Beat Ferguson For Interim ‘Bullsh*t Belt,’ Then Fight McGregor For ‘Real Belt’

Khabib Nurmagomedov is no doubt making a name at lightweight but he is also a man on the mission. He is being hyped as the next lightweight champion and this year could finally be his.

Nurmagomedov is reportedly scheduled to face Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title soon. While speaking with Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting, Nurmagomedov is down for that fight as he plans to beat Ferguson, take the title and then fight the real UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who is expected to be out of action for a bit as his girlfriend is pregnant.

“I want to beat Tony Ferguson, take the interim bullsh*t belt, and I will fight with Conor for real belt,” Nurmagomedov said. “This is what I want to make in 2017. If the UFC would ask me about Conor, of course, I would take this fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “He has the belt now. I want to take his belt. … It’s my belt. Everybody knows I deserve a title shot. But, Tony Ferguson is on nine win streak, he deserves [a chance] too.”

Nurmagomedov is not sure if McGregor even wants to defend the belt, which he won in November 2015 from Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205.

“I think 50/50. I think maybe he takes the fight at 170, if he loses at 170, he comes back to 155. He does this all the time. He never defends his belt. He never defended his belt in Cage Warriors, he never defends his belt in UFC, he’s all the time playing games because he has good pay-per-view and that’s why he has power in the UFC.”

Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson is expected to be featured on the main card of UFC 209 on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.