Dustin Poirier scoring a second-round TKO against Conor McGregor at UFC 257 came as a complete shock. But what really rocked the MMA world was the expected impact of the loss suffered by The Notorious like it's now next to impossible for Khabib Nurmagomedov to square off with his bitter rival anew.
Before the UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi, UFC chief Dana White touted the likelihood of Nurmagomedov entering the cage for the last time. White was convinced that a good showing by McGregor, preferably a stunning win, will prod The Eagle to sign on for one last fight, which undoubtedly will be a money-spinner.
But Poirier proved the better MMA warrior last Saturday and for Nurmagomedov, he sees no reason to break a sweat for any of the fighters during the event. More so, the Russian is now unwilling to give McGregor another fight date, not with the disappointing result of the Irishman's last UFC encounter.
According to MMA Fighting, White is no longer sure that Nurmagomedov can still be persuaded to interrupt his retirement for a final step inside of the octagon. The UFC president said The Eagle was not inspired to another bout, declaring: "I'm so many levels above these guys."
Unsurprisingly, White promised to talk one more time with Nurmagomedov but he made clear that it's not going to be a hard sell for him, acknowledging that things are different now after January 23.
"I'm obviously gonna talk to Khabib and see if he wants to defend that title. And if he doesn't, I won't push it anymore," said White.
It seemed crystal clear that seeing a hapless McGregor during the rematch with Poirier pushed Nurmagomedov to ditch whatever respect he had held for the UFC superstar. The reigning lightweight champ was not holding back when he mocked McGregor after the latter's defeat.
Per the report by the South China Morning Post, Nurmagomedov rubbed salt on McGregor's wounds by making sense of the monumental loss. The Russian said his rival had the defeat coming by "sparring with little kids" and shunning reality.
Then Nurmagomedov let out a kicker by reminding McGregor that The Eagle is still flying high with an undefeated record.
Getting word of his rival's insult, McGregor was livid at the disrespectful comments and fired off his counter shots. The Notorious said the words unleashed by Nurmagomedov only unmasked his true character.
Instead of engaging in foolish trash talks, McGregor called on the Russian to fight again and he will be a willing opponent, something that White will certainly want to happen if Nurmagomedov is up to the challenge.
