Conor McGregor News: Brian Ortega reveals who he'd prefer to face between Khabib Nurmagomedov and the 'Notorious One'
What's the story?
UFC 231 is around the corner, and in the main event of the card, Brian Ortega is set to face UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway for the title.
However, before the card actually comes around, Ortega had something else on his mind, which he revealed during a UFC 231 media event. According to reports by MMA Fighting, Ortega revealed which fighter he would rather face between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov and the reason for his choice.
In case you didn't know...
After several delays, Ortega is finally set to face Holloway for the UFC Featherweight Championship. Both fighters have been waiting for this opportunity for a while, so when they meet in the Octagon it is sure to be special.
Meanwhile, Khabib and Conor are both busy waiting for their hearing with the Nevada Athletic Commission following their actions at UFC 229.
The heart of the matter
During the media event, Ortega addressed the question, discussing which fighter he would rather face between Conor and Khabib.
He answered that he would rather face Nurmagomedov than McGregor in a money fight. He said that idea of the Nurmagomedov fight appealed to him far more.
“We get along in the gym and we’re always like, you know, this is a matchup. Our hands are both good. He’s a top game guy and a wrestler and I’m a bottom game guy and a jiu-jitsu guy.”
He talked about how his styles meshed with Nurmagomedov's, and how taking on Khabib would be his perfect match.
“I was watching a lot of things in that fight, where, if I was in that position, there’s a lot of things I’d be doing differently.”
He went on to say that he had watched the McGregor fight, and he would have done a lot of things differently against Khabib, even claiming that he could have gotten out of the same situation that made McGregor tap out.
What's next?
If Brian Ortega is able to secure a win against Max Holloway, then a fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov would not be out of the question.
Both fighters are still undefeated in their careers, and it would be an opportunity for whichever Champion was willing to change divisions to become double champion.