"A man can't have two primes" - Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Conor McGregor is past his peak
Khabib Nurmagomedov has asserted that Conor McGregor is past his prime. Shedding light upon his opinion, The Eagle explained that a fighter cannot have two primes during his MMA career.
UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor are no strangers to one another. The Eagle and The Notorious One share one of the most heated rivalries in combat sports history.
The rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is an incredibly personal and intense one. Nurmagomedov put his UFC Lightweight title on the line against McGregor at UFC 229 in October 2018.
The vast majority of MMA fans and experts believe that Conor McGregor gave Khabib Nurmagomedov one of the toughest fights of The Eagle’s career. Be that as it may, Nurmagomedov won the matchup, defeating McGregor via a fourth-round submission.
On an edition of the MMAGA Show, Khabib Nurmagomedov opened up on a myriad of topics. Upon being questioned whether believes Conor McGregor will return stronger after his recent loss, Nurmagomedov stated –
“Never. There is no way that a man can be at the peak for two times.”
“I’m not talking about him,” Khabib Nurmagomedov added, insinuating that this tenet applies to all individual sportspersons and not just Conor McGregor. “What I mean is, a man can't have two primes. A team could do it. For example: Real Madrid did this a few times in a row. Teams may have this. But we’re talking about us. And one man, on his own, cannot have this (peak form twice).” said Khabib Nurmagomedov. (*Quotes and translation courtesy: MMAGA Show)
Conor McGregor recently suffered the first KO/TKO loss of his MMA career, losing to Dustin Poirier in the second round at UFC 257 in January 2021. While The Notorious One has vowed to come back better than ever, Khabib Nurmagomedov believes that the Irish fighter won’t ever be able to return to his peak fighting form.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor 2 – Is the rematch a realistic possibility?
Presently, the consensus is that a potential rematch between archrivals Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is unlikely. The Eagle retired from the sport of MMA in October 2020, but he’s yet to vacate or be stripped of the UFC Lightweight title.
In case Khabib Nurmagomedov chooses not to come out of retirement this year, he’s likely to either vacate the UFC Lightweight title or be stripped of it. Meanwhile, Conor McGregor has been lobbying for a trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier, which could transpire in May of this year.