Conor McGregor believes Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to retire is because he’s running scared of his old rival.
The lightweight champion, 32, called time on his unbeaten career after defending his belt against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi in October, citing a promise he made to his mother following the death of his father in July.
However, Nurmagomedov and the UFC continue to tease a possible comeback for one more fight, to take the Dagestan athlete's professional record to 30-0.
McGregor would be very much in the mix to face Nurmagomedov, in what would be a money-spinning rematch of their controversial 2018 encounter. Nurmagomedov won that bout via a fourth-round submission.
McGregor, though, sees more to Nurmagomedov’s decision to walk away from the sport.
“I think he’s afraid to fight me, that’s for damn sure,” the former two-division champion told ESPN. “I don’t blame him. I know exactly what to face. I fought the best of him that night and he fought the worst of me that night. He knows it, I know it, his team knows it.
“I have the answer to destroy that man. He can pull the wool over people’s eyes only for so long, but it is what it is. I know there’s surrounding things regarding the family. If he’s retired then, that’s it, I wish him well. But I am who I am and I’m at the top and time will show.”
McGregor, also 32, returns to the octagon next Sunday in the headline bout at UFC 257 against Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi. The Irishman has not fought since last January, when he needed only 40 seconds to stop Donald Cerrone.
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McGregor destroys Cerrone at UFC 246
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Nurmagomedov has apparently told UFC president Dana White that he will be keeping a close eye on UFC 257, which features also a clash between Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker, then decide if he’d like to come out of retirement. The event brings to a close a third Fight Island series in the capital.
“His hand is showing he’s not a true fighter, in my opinion,” McGregor said. “I mean how could you retire? How could you walk away? There’s so many fights to be had.
“Think of [Nate] Diaz, [Tony] Ferguson, there’s [Charles] Oliveira, the rematch with me. It’s just preposterous to walk away. I think he showed his hand, but then at the same time, there’s family issues. So it is what it is. All the best.”
On a potential rematch, McGregor added: “I’m here for it. I would like it. But if it doesn’t [happen], it doesn’t. I wonder what he’s going to say. Like I said, he can only pull wool over someone’s eyes for so long.”
Fight Island Triple Header continues on Wednesday with the second of its three events at the newly opened Etihad Arena. The card is headlined by Michael Cheese's welterweight bout with Neil Magny.
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Nurmagomedov stops Gaethje at UFC 254
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England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
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3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
AT%20A%20GLANCE
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Maestro
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The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
Sweet%20Tooth
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
