via ESPN
- Conor McGregor told ESPN that he believes he will fight again this year.
- McGregor said he wants a rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov, saying that he learned from their first match, but that he won’t "wait around."
- McGregor and Nurmagomedov have exchanged barbs numerous times since their explosive fight last October.
- Nurmagomedov and UFC boss Dana White have recently poured cold water on the possibilities of a rematch.
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Conor McGregor told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on "SportsCenter" that if he had to choose, he thinks he will fight again this year.
McGregor has not fought since October 2018, when he lost via submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Both fighters were suspended after a brawl broke out in the crowd between their camps.
Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty ImagesWhen asked "true or false" if he would fight this year, McGregor paused and said, "It’s hard to put it… I would say true."
And he wants a rematch with Nurmagomedov.
"I want my world title back, I want that redemption," McGregor said, referring to losing his lightweight title to Nurmagomedov. "The camp was incorrect. I’ve learned so much on that."
However, McGregor added that he would not "wait around" for a rematch with Nurmagomedov.
According to a write-up of the interview, which will air on ESPN on Thursday night, McGregor also mentioned names like Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier, Jose Aldo, Max Holloway, Tony Ferguson, and Frankie Edgar for a possible next fight. According to Helwani, McGregor said negotiations with UFC have gone well and that shares of UFC are no longer a sticking-point for McGregor as they once were.
Since their fight, McGregor and Nurmagomedov have exchanged barbs via social media. McGregor attacked Nurmagomedov’s wife, calling her a "towel," in a tweet that was deleted and called "Islamaphobic." Nurmagomedov’s camp said family and religion was off-limits in trash-talk. Nurmagomedov’s manager called McGregor a "rapist" in return, referring to a police investigation into a sexual-assault allegation made against McGregor in Ireland.
The trash-talk later subsided, with fears that it would get out of hand.
UFC boss Dana White said shortly after McGregor’s loss to Nurmagomedov that McGregor had called about a rematch, but noted other fighters deserved a shot at the undefeated Russian fighter.
Nurmagomedov is set to defend his title against Dustin Poirier on September 7. He has gone back and forth on a rematch with McGregor, first saying there was unfinished business since the last fight, but then saying McGregor did not deserve a rematch.
Watch a clip of McGregor’s interview below:
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See Also:
- Conor McGregor’s antics ‘cannot tarnish’ Ireland’s reputation, says the pub owner who poured the fighter’s whiskey down the toilet
- An enraged pub owner filmed himself pouring Conor McGregor’s whiskey down the toilet, saying McGregor is ‘not a true representative of the Irish people’
- Dana White says it ‘won’t end well’ for Conor McGregor after a video appeared to show him punching an elderly man in a Dublin pub
Source: Business Insider – sdavis@businessinsider.com (Scott Davis)