Khabib Willing To Leave UFC Without Title Shot
Not too many people are happy about the recent booking of UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and UFC 145-pound champ Conor McGregor headlining UFC 205 next month, and one such man who isn’t too hot about the idea is none other than Khabib Nurmagomedov.
McGregor will attempt to make history when he takes on Alvarez, as the current 145-pound title holder is eying to become the first man in UFC history to hold two titles in different weight classes simultaneously.
Alvarez is a fresh champion who is coming off of a first round knockout win over Rafael dos Anjos to secure the lightweight crown, and is hoping to derail the Irishman’s hype train on the biggest stage in mixed martial arts (MMA) history.
By doing this, however, he will be leaving No. 1-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov waiting in the wings for his long awaited shot at the division’s championship, as he will instead be taking on Michael Johnson on the same card that ‘The Silent Assassin’ and ‘The Notorious One’ will be headlining.
During a recent appearance on The Luke Thomas Show, courtesy of FightSports.TV, Nurmagomedov discussed Alvarez’s reluctance to meet him in the Octagon for the title, revealing the champ declined to fight him on three different offers:
“UFC said ‘You’re going to fight August 27 in Canada against Eddie.’ I said yes, I take this fight. Eddie does not take this fight. After this UFC gives me UFC 205, Eddie say no. 206, Eddie say no.”
‘The Eagle’ went on to claim that if he doesn’t get his title opportunity after his match with Johnson, he’ll show them just how powerful he is in his home-country of Russia:
“After this fight I have to fight for the title,” he said. “UFC thinks Conor has power? Ireland only has like 6 million people. I am from Russia, 150 million people. If UFC don’t give me the title fight after this fight, I’m going to show how I have power in Russia and I know if I don’t fight for the title next fight, UFC will never ever go to Russia.”
Nurmagomedov went on to point out the fact that Alvarez called for an easy fight after his title win over ‘RDA’, stating that Alvarez knows he is a bad match-up for him:
“Eddie understands who is who,” Nurmagomedov said. “Eddie and all his coaches know ‘This [is a] very tough fight for me.’ He even said ‘I want an easy fight’. No, you’re champion. You fight #1 ranked, and #1 ranked is not easy. For me, it’s a crazy situation. But it’s ok, life is going and I’m going to keep going and I’m going to finish Michael Johnson at UFC 205 and after this I’m going to fight for the title.
“I’d rather take this fight because he signed with the UFC bullshit contract because he knows if he takes fight with me, his belt is going bye bye.”
In an even bolder statement the Russian went on to promise that if he isn’t granted his shot at the 155-pound throne with a potential win over ‘The Menace’, he won’t fight for the UFC again:
“If I don’t fight after this fight for the title, I never fight in the UFC, no more. I deserve this. If UFC doesn’t give me title after fight — I don’t care about unanimous decision, split decision, first round KO. If I don’t fight, I’m gonna show how I have power in Russia. Because UFC think Conor have power? I have power too. This is not all about pay per view. I have power too. I’m gonna show this power.”
“Very soon,” he said, “a young and very hungry Eagle is going to change these rules.”
Nurmagomedov will meet Johnson on the preliminary card of UFC 205 live on FS1, from the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City on November 12, 2016.
