Quote: Khabib Nurmagomedov Is Tougher Fight For Conor McGregor Than Tony Ferguson
As the weeks pass, more UFC stars come out and give their take on who should the be the next contender for UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Although some believe that interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson should be next in line for a shot at McGregor, there are some fight fans who think that Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is coming off a win over Edson Barboza at UFC 219 last weekend, should fight the UFC champion.
It all comes down to who you are talking with about this fight. Make no mistake about it though, everyone has their own opinion.
Ferguson beat Kevin Lee to win the interim strap at UFC 216 and it was clear at the time that would be the fight to make. That all changed once Khabib won his last fight in dominating fashion.
McGregor is the most dangerous striker in the division. However, he does have holes in his game, which is his ground game as it was put on display in his back-to-back fights with Nate Diaz. McGregor was submitted by Diaz in the second round at UFC 196 but came back to win a majority decision at UFC 202.
Top lightweight contender Dustin Poirier believes Nurmagomedov is the tougher match-up for McGregor and he explained why in a recent interview. It should be noted that Poirier was knocked out by McGregor in 2014.
“I think Tony would have a higher percentage of getting caught with a big shot,” Poirier told Luke Thomas in a recent interview, per MMA Mania’s Andrew Pearson.
“He fights with his head up a lot, he’s long and lanky, he kind of uses unorthodox footwork that puts him out of position a lot. He’s a good wrestler for sure, but he’s not as grinding and as gritty as a Khabib who’s just going to walk you down and put you against the fence and stuff.
Definitely Tony can control guys and get on top of him and win rounds like that, or even submit guys, but I just think its a tougher fight for Conor.”
.@DustinPoirier: Khabib "for sure" a tougher fight for Conor McGregor than Ferguson @lthomasnews #TLTS pic.twitter.com/NYj7Dyg88i
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) January 5, 2018
