Khabib drips with sweat in gym as he vows ‘the king has never left, tell them I’m coming’ in warning to Conor McGregor
KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV reminded fans “the king has never left, tell them I’m coming” as he sent an online message to his rivals. The Russian UFC lightweight champion defends his crown against Tony Ferguson on April 18. But the unbeaten grappler has already been told by UFC boss Dana White he will rematch Conor McGregor should […]
KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV reminded fans “the king has never left, tell them I’m coming” as he sent an online message to his rivals.
The Russian UFC lightweight champion defends his crown against Tony Ferguson on April 18.
But the unbeaten grappler has already been told by UFC boss Dana White he will rematch Conor McGregor should he be victorious against fan-favourite Ferguson.
After McGregor’s emphatic 40 second knockout against Donald Cerrone on his octagon return, Nurmagomedov posted a video in the gym to remind his nemesis who the champion is.
He wrote: “King has never left, he’s not going anywhere. Tell them I’m coming.”
Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have four times been pitted against each other to fight but amazingly each bout has fallen through.
Taking no risks this time, White revealed McGregor will be on standby should the main-event once again be doomed.
But whether The Notorious fights bitter rival Nurmagomedov on short notice, or in the distant future, he is in no doubt the two will once again share the cage.
McGregor said after beating Cerrone: “That rematch will happen.
“Look at the shape I was in in this camp compared with the last. It’s non-comparable.
“It’s not the be all and end all. I’ll focus on my skills and my training and then carry on.”
Nurmagomedov convincingly beat McGregor in October 2018 with a fourth round submission.
But the Irishman – who held the featherweight and lightweight belts at the same time – insisted he was “disrespectful” and “lacked commitment” before his humbling loss.
UFC president White revealed McGregor will receive a rematch due to the “global appeal” while he believes the 31-year-old southpaw is in better condition to take on Nurmagomedov this time.
The promoter said: “Going into the Khabib fight, Conor had a lot of personal stuff, some stuff self-inflicted.
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“He had injuries. He has been obsessed with getting that rematch because he knows that he wasn’t 100 per cent right.
“This is a massive fight with global appeal. It’s the fight that you make. It’s the fight that makes sense.
“Khabib versus Conor is the biggest fight in the sport’s history.”
