Kinder, gentler Conor McGregor? Don't expect it in Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch

Conor McGregor was praised for his demeanor ahead of UFC 246, but "The Notorious" won't promise the same against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

LAS VEGAS – Conor McGregor was universally praised for his refreshingly professional demeanor ahead of UFC 246, but “The Notorious” isn’t willing to promise he can do the same against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“It’s got very personal with that man and his team,” McGregor said. “Look, it is what it is. I make no promises. I am who I am, and it is what is.”

Former two-division UFC champ McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and current lightweight titleholder Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) have a long and bitter rivalry that fueled a massive UFC 229 event in October 2018. Nurmagomedov proved victorious in the contest, submitting McGregor in the fourth round. Immediately after the win, “The Eagle” flew out of the cage and attacked McGregor’s corner, setting off an infamous melee that drew fines and suspensions for both fighters from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

While Nurmagomedov has said publicly he’s not interested in facing McGregor again, UFC president Dana White holds a much different stance. Should Nurmagomedov get through former interim champ Tony Ferguson at April’s UFC 249, White wants to book the rematch, calling it “a massive fight with global appeal.”

Since the loss to Nurmagomedov, McGregor has made wholesale changes to both his personal and professional life, and he looked fantastic in a 40-second TKO win over future UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone. McGregor says he would approach a second fight with the undefeated Russian much differently, as well.

“I’ll certainly be focused on the skillsets,” McGregor said. “We have a particular skillset, myself and that man. He holds on to the legs and all. I come for it. I’ll be excited to get that one back, so we’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens in the Tony fight.”

Of course, Ferguson boasts an incredible winning streak of his own, and he’s not about to just lay down so that McGregor can have his chosen foe. But McGregor says the title is his ultimate ambition right now, and if it turns out that Ferguson is victorious, he’d be happy to take on “El Cucuy.”

“Tony’s another interesting foe for me,” McGregor said. “We’ll see what happens. If something happens, I’ll be here.

“A fight’s a fight. Tony’s hittable, but he’s awkward and he’s rangy, you know what I mean? So, anything can happen. We’ll see what happens.”

That said, there’s simply no denying that Nurmagomedov-McGregor 2 would prove on the biggest fights in the history of the sport. Timing and circumstances will have to line up, of course, but McGregor said he’s ready and willing. And while White has said the fight will not take place in Russia, McGregor said he’s not giving up his vision of beating Nurmagomedov in his backyard.

“There’s a lot of revenue in Russia,” McGregor said. “I love Russia. I love the Russian people. I went to Moscow recently, and they’re such a great nation. They’re so passionate about the sport of mixed martial arts. They’re so passionate about myself, and they support me greatly. They support Proper Twelve Irish whiskey. They know a good liquid. They know a good spirit. They are good-spirited people, and what a place.

“It would be like something out of a ‘Rocky’ movie, you know what I mean, so I’d be very eager to do that. Dana, the hometown Vegas boy and all the Vegas people will be campaigning for it. Let’s see what happens. … I want to create spectacles for the people. That’s one hell of a spectacle. Even me going out there in Moscow that one time, the place shut down. The world took notice. Your man was saying allowed out there. I wasn’t supposed to be out there. They were running the streets, screaming my name. I’m more Russian than that man, so I would love to go to Moscow and compete there.”