UFC: Khabib says Tony Ferguson next in Russia; Conor McGregor ‘doesn’t deserve’ title shot
- Undefeated UFC lightweight champion tells Irishman to ‘get in line’
- Nurmagomedov calls for March or April title defence against ‘El Cucuy’ at Gazprom Stadium in St Petersburg
Khabib Nurmagomedov has bluntly told Conor McGregor to “get in line” after revealing his plans for his UFC return.
The Irishman had tried to goad the Russian into giving him a rematch in Moscow following Khabib’s submission win against interim champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 242.
But Khabib wants to defend his lightweight title next against Tony Ferguson next year at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg.
“It will be in March or April,” the champion said at the Synergy Forum in St Petersburg, in quotes translated by RT Sport.
“I said it clearly – I want to fight in a large arena, and the only large indoor arena in Russia is Gazprom Arena [in St Petersburg]. So I want to fight there.”
The arena, which has a retractable roof and can seat up to 80,000 fans, hosted seven matches at the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
UFC: Khabib’s father tells Conor McGregor ‘Moscow is waiting for him’ if he wants rematch
It would be a fitting venue for what would be a blockbuster fight against Ferguson, who like Khabib is riding a 12-0 win streak in the UFC.
For the Dagestani native, who is Russia’s most followed celebrity on Instagram, his feud with McGregor is “a thing of the past”.
“I have nothing to prove,” he added. “But he has something to prove. We know he does.
“There’s a lot of businessmen here and I think most of them will tell me to fight him because it’ll bring money. I’d fight all the main contenders first, and I could fight him to benefit my agricultural projects.
“I have to say that Tony Ferguson deserves it more. You have to give him credit. He is on a 12-fight win streak and he deserves it more than Conor.
“Conor has to come back [and] stop hitting old people. He is a professional fighter. He should come back, win, earn his place and get in line.”
