While Holly Holm will take on Germaine de Randamie in the main event of UFC 208 in Brooklyn this weekend to crown the first UFC women's featherweight champion, attention today turned to the main event of UFC 209 which takes place next month.
Khabib Nurmagomedov takes on Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title, and the man from Dagestan was present for a Q&A session broadcast on Facebook live earlier today where he fielded questions about his upcoming opponent, as well as a lot of questions about someone that it seems he will inevitably fight at some stage.
Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor is a fascinating prospect, and it is very clear that Khabib has his eyes on the Irishman for his next oppoment after he deals with Ferguson, but he admitted that he doesn't quite know when that fight will happen.
I don't know this guy, I can't talk about what he does, because nobody knows.
He makes decisions because UFC follow him, I don't know what happen after this fight [with Ferguson], nobody knows.
Of course I fight him. First of all I take this belt, then afterwards we see what happens. If Conor says let's go, if UFC want to make this fight, I fight with him. If not, I have to defend my title.
[To fight in Russia] is my very big dream, but UFC try to make this event at end of the year but we will see. If Conor wants to defend his title, I don't think me vs Conor happens in Russia. I think we fight in Madison Square Garden or T-Mobile Arena.
But, with other opponent, maybe UFC make this fight in Russia.
And on the prospect of fighting Conor in Dublin, Nurmagomedov had the following to say, and it's clear that he doesn't want to just shut Conor up, but all of Ireland.
Let's go.
Beat this guy in Ireland, this is like, very good, I think.
Make him humble, not just him, all Ireland. Why not?
There you have it, he's coming to humble us all.
Khabib must first get past Tony Ferguson at UFC 209, but even then there is no telling what Conor McGregor's next fight will be. Under normal circumstances it would be expected for him to unify the lightweight title, but McGregor's circumstances are anything but normal, and the possibility that he could box Floyd Mayweather before making his UFC return has become very real.
We'll have to wait and see, in the meantime, you can watch Khabib's Q&A in full below.
