Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Father Says “Moscow is Waiting”, if Conor McGregor Wants to Run it Back With Son

Conor McGregor has repeatedly called for a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the lightweight champ has repeatedly said the star doesn’t deserve one yet. But, in a recent interview the vaunted grappler’s father Abdulmanap gave, he raised the possibility of a rematch taking place in Moscow.

McGregor’s campaign to run it back

Ever since McGregor was submitted by Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 last October, the polarizing star has campaigned for a rematch. Although Khabib controlled much of the fight, and never appeared to be in any danger, speculation about a rematch has never gone away. The key point being that the fight would generate massive dollars, even though McGregor hasn’t won a bout since 2016. McGregor has also said he faced Nurmagomedov at less than 100%, on account of a foot injury he incurred in camp.

Abdulmanap’s recent comments about a rematch

Well, as noted above, despite McGregor’s push, Khabib has repeatedly dismissed the idea that the former champ should get a rematch. But, during a recent interview with ‘Zhivina100’, the Russian star’s father, Abdulmanap, reportedly said this (quotes via RT Sports):

“If McGregor wants it, then Moscow is waiting for him.

“He said once that he has more fans here than Khabib. We want to host him in Moscow, he is welcome – we are waiting.”

“But before McGregor we should finish our business with (Tony) Ferguson”

“Because he had 28 fights, and runs a 12-fight winning streak in the UFC, just like Khabib. Such winning streaks and such big fights have never happened in the UFC.

“So I think Madison Square Garden is a good place for this fight, but we won’t fight earlier than March.”

While these comments are certainly interesting and are no doubt, going to turn heads, there’s a couple of things to consider. First, while there’s no question that Khabib respects his father immensely, the two aren’t necessarily aligned on the fighter’s future. Just because Abdulmanap is talking about a rematch with Conor in Moscow, doesn’t necessarily mean Khabib’s thinking this way (it should be noted that McGregor has said he’ll fight Khabib in Moscow).

After all, following Khabib’s win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 last month, he argued Conor needs to win several fights before receiving another crack at the belt. So, it’s hard to imagine Khabib signing on to a rematch with Conor, if the latter hasn’t returned to the win column beforehand.

In other words, it seems like before talks for Nurmagmedov vs. McGregor are even a possibility, both men will have to win at least one more bout.