Russian MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov must be stripped of his UFC champion title. This was announced on Friday, January 22nd, by the Irish mixed fighter Conor McGregor.
“If he continues to run away from revenge and from the obligation to defend the belt, then he should be stripped of his title. Then Poirier and I must fight for the championship “, – quotes his words Bj penn…
However, the athlete is sure that the belt will be taken away from the Russian before McGregor’s fight with Dustin Poirier, the event will take place on the night of January 23-24. At the same time, the Irishman added that it is unlikely that Nurmagomedov will find excuses after this, and he will be deprived of his title.
Earlier in January, it became known that the Russian could resume his career. As UFC head Dane White emphasized, the Russian may consider this option after the fight between the Irish Connor McGregor and the American Dustin Poirier, as well as the New Zealand fighter Dan Hooker and the American Michael Chandler, which are scheduled for January 24.
32-year-old Nurmagomedov announced his retirement on October 24 after winning the fight against Justin Gajee in Abu Dhabi, UAE, as part of the UFC 254 tournament.
On January 2, Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdel-Aziz said that the Russian could resume his sports career for a fight with former UFC champion in two weight categories Georges Saint-Pierre.
On January 11, White spoke about his intention to persuade the Russian fighter to hold another fight.
Nurmagomedov became the UFC champion on April 7, 2018, defeating American Al Iaquinta by unanimous decision. He defended the title three times in fights against the Irishman Conor McGregor and the Americans Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
