Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Conor McGregor inside the cage at UFC 229 six years ago. What if he could beat McGregor again, but from outside the cage this time? A rematch between the pair is out of the question. McGregor has tried tooth and nail to get the former to accept a rematch. He even went as far as to insult ‘The Eagles’s late father during a spat. Now, Nurmagomedov might have the chance to pull one back for his camp, through his protege.

Despite staying out of action for such a long time facing McGregor is still a dream for every fighter. One such fighter is Islam Makhachev, who seems ready to face the Dubliner if given a chance. The details were shared by one of his longtime associates. Let us take a look at what he had to say.

Islam Makhachev is ready to face Conor McGregor reveals head coach

Coach Javier Mendez recently sat down to chat with Ushatayka about various things related to their camp. However, the focus quickly shifted towards the legendary fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. The UFC released a video in the summer where they broke down the fight between the fighters. During the video, the Dagestani corner can be seen super intense, trying to keep the pressure intact. It even showed the former lightweight kingpin spitting on ‘Mystic Mac’, which forced the host to ask Mendez why UFC released the video. Are they promoting another fight between the pair?

Coach Mendez quickly responded that it was all about marketing and nothing more. The host then asked if Islam Makhachev could take on McGregor in the future. The AKA head coach was quick to respond, ” Yes, in that way, that’s definitely possible because Khabib will never come back, and we won’t fight. For Conor the number one biggest fight for him would be Islam. So yeah, definitely, we welcome it with open arms.” 

Talking about Islam Makhachev, he was present during the fight and witnessed his idol destroy the Dubliner. Since then, the now-lightweight champion has never been a fan of Conor McGregor and has always been critical of him.

When ‘Mystic Mac’ pulled out of his clash because of a broken toe against Michael Chandler, the Dagestani fighter mocked the champion. However, during his conversation with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, he clarified that he would not decline the opportunity to face Conor McGregor in his career.

Islam Makhachev claims that facing Conor McGregor will be an easy task for him

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is currently recovering from an injury after successfully defending his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. The 32-year-old sat down for a chat with Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman on their ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast a few weeks ago and spoke on multiple topics. One of the questions to him was whether he would ever face Conor McGregor in his career. The Dagestani fighter has never shied away from any challenge, and this time around, it was no different.

Makhachev responded quickly that he would never hesitate to fight the Dubliner as it would be easy work for him. He said, “Brother, why not?”. The lightweight champion then pointed out that people would be stupid not to take a fight with McGregor and said, “ [You] have to be stupid [to] say no [to fighting Conor McGregor]. Of course, I will fight with him”.

One of the biggest reasons for this is the massive paycheck he would earn from the fight. The other reason is that the lightweight kingpin feels McGregor is way past his prime and would easily defeat ‘The Notorious’ One in a fight. He further added, “Yeah, for sure, when he was fighting with Khabib, he’s in the good shape, you know he is a high-level fighter. But right now, it’s too much alcohol, too much whiskey, and it’s not the same.”

Currently, McGregor is recovering from his injury and is hoping to fight later in the year. His opponent will most probably be Michael Chandler, and the pair will look to settle things once and for all. However, there is no official announcement of the fight, and the fans will hope to see him in action soon. But will the Dubliner ever accept the challenge of the Dagestani fighter? Let us know about it in the comments below.