Having successfully made weight this time around, Khabib Nurmagomedov was ready to take on either interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson or reigning champion Conor McGregor moments after his dominating performance vs. Edson Barboza.
After sitting out several months due to his religion following an ill-faded attempt at weighing in for a planned bout with Ferguson earlier this year, the unbeaten Nurmagomedov made his triumphant return at UFC 219 Saturday night.
Three rounds and several punches later, he was declared the winner, earning a 30-24 on one of the scorecards. The other two had it in favor of Nurmagomedov 30-25, as he won his ninth consecutive fight inside the Octagon.
“If UFC gives me one hour rest, I can fight one more time with Conor or Tony,” Nurmagomedov said after his performance. “No problem.”
When pushed further for who he wants to be paired up with in 2018, “The Eagle” declared Ferguson first on his agenda, saying that McGregor won’t return to MMA until “his money runs out.”
The 29-year-old Nurmagomedov is now 25-0 in his career with wins over Barboza, Michael Johnson, Darrell Horcher (at a catchweight) and former UFC lightweight champion and current welterweight top contender Rafael dos Anjos.
And if you were wondering what UFC president Dana White thought of Nurmagomedov’s performance, he summed it up on Twitter:
WOW!!!! BEAST!!!!! @TeamKhabib pic.twitter.com/tIJf3KxHRr
— Dana White (@danawhite) December 31, 2017
