UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was recently asked to make a prediction for that main event, but he doesn’t seem to care much about it.
“I think Cerrone lost seven or eight of his last 10 fights (actually six). The other one (McGregor) is going into his fourth year of no victories,” he said at a GFC 22 media event (via RT Sport & MMA Junkie). “It’s like the minor leagues – it doesn’t really matter who wins there.”
Dana White recently stated that Nurmagomedov will face McGregor if McGregor is successful at UFC 246, but Nurmagomedov says he will determine who gets the next title shot.
“I’m surprised that Dana White is saying that if Conor beats Cerrone and I beat Tony Ferguson, there will be a rematch,” he said. “I decide who I’m going to fight next. To fight me he has to cut weight first, down to (lightweight), and win 10 fights in a row like I did. Then we’ll think about a rematch. But for now, he can fight second-rate fighters who lose seven out of 10 fights at (welterweight). But to think he deserves the lightweight belt, while I’m champion that won’t happen, so everything’s alright. Don’t worry.”
UFC 246 takes place on Saturday, January 18 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
