Khabib does not want Dana White to ask for McGregor's belt

LAS VEGAS – If former title holder Tony Ferguson wants to call himself champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov has no problem with that.

"When you fight like that, high-level combat, you have to believe that you are the champion, no one can beat you," Nurmagomedov said at the press conference that preceded UFC 229. "All I'm fine for that. "

Nurmagomedov, the current and official UFC lightweight champion was not so acceptable, while UFC President, Dana White, was asking for the belt of the UFC. former two-division champion, Conor McGregor, before a confrontation with Nurmagomedov during the intense press conference of UFC 229 in New York. York.

"I do not agree with that because Dana already knows where the Conor belt is," Nurmagomedov said. "Max Holloway and Khabib Nurmagomedov (featherweight champion), he must know. But he's bringing his belt, believe you. It's good. I'm fine about it. But tell this guy (white), hey, he loses his belt. He lost his head. "

As Nurmagomedov (26-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC) pointed out, it's been almost two years since McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) did not set foot in the octagon. The Irishman was last seen beating Eddie Alvarez to win the 155-pound crown in November 2016, adding to the 145-pound title he had won from Jose Aldo the previous year. He never defended any title and was finally stripped of both.

Nurmagomedov, in turn, was supposed to have fought the interim champion Ferguson, in April, for the undisputed belt. That failed at the last minute after Ferguson's senseless injury. Nurmagomedov defeated Al Iaquinta to win gold.

On Saturday, Nurmagomedov will have the chance to defend his title for the first time, in a pay-per-view star that some – including the champion himself – nickname the "biggest fight in the history of the world." 39; UFC. " But, as Nurmagomedov made it perfectly clear before, it's not just that.

"For me, it's more than defending my title," Nurmagomedov said. "For me, it's more than fighting for the title. More than the main event. For me, it's personal. Honestly, for me, it's personal.

It's probably McGregor's music – or it would have been if the two had shared the platform on Thursday. After all, the ex-champion took the initiative to customize it. In the run-up to the fight, McGregor did not run away from personal and political attacks, targeting the champion's father and manager and evoking the relationship between Dagestan and the Chechens.

But no event is more symbolic of this hostile accumulation than those that took place before UFC 223, in response to the tension of the corridor between teammate Artem Lobov and Nurmagomedov and his crew. In images that would later become a roll for promotional use, an uncontrollable McGregor attacked the bus that was carrying Nurmagomedov and other fighters to Brooklyn.

More than six months have passed, but Nurmagomedov does not hide the fact that he is still "a little" angry at the events that will later cause McGregor to appear in court.

"If I say no, it's not true," Nurmagomedov said. "A little, of course. I am angry, a little moved. But my job, when I go in the cage, I have to control my emotions. I have to stay relaxed. But continue and maul this guy.

Regarding this decision, Nurmagomedov can not predict with certainty if this will happen during the five rounds, or if it will make a quick deal at the T-Mobile Arena. He thinks McGregor is giving up "all the time" when he gets tired. And the current plan is to abandon it.

"At the start of the first round, I have to pay attention to him because he has good timing and good boxing," Nurmagomedov said. "But my struggle and my pressure. You must kill me to stop him. Inshallah, I'm going to stop this guy, I'm going to finish this guy, that's my plan. "

Nurmagomedov said he was not taken aback by the very noisy fans who took charge of the week's fighting activities to cheer McGregor on. He is rather grateful because it is the fans who organize the event.

Asked that McGregor could safely move to Russia after creating such animosity, Nurmagomedov said no one cared about "drunk man," McGregor, nor of what he was saying.

"When we go in the cage, we will see both who will talk," said Nurmagomedov.

The champion does not lose too much energy thinking about what will happen next. After all, he currently has two main goals: to reach the limit of 155 pounds Friday and then fight Saturday.

But there is one thing he seems to be quite certain about when it comes to what will happen after the two have settled their goal: win or lose, it is "not possible" that he squeezes the McGregor's hand.

For more information on UFC 229, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.