Conor McGregor: Khabib Nurmagomedov believes UFC star will never return to his best

UFC: McGregor hones kickboxing skills in garden

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Retired UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has suggested that Conor McGregor’s attempts to return to the top of the sport are in vain, claiming that no athlete can have ‘two primes’. McGregor was thought to have been pursuing a sensational rematch with the undefeated 32-year-old, but his defeat at the hands of Dustin Poirier in January has all but ended the possibility of the fight being made.

The Irishman took to the Octagon in Abu Dhabi for the first time in twelve months with the hope of a comfortable victory over Poirier, but was humbled in emphatic fashion as ‘The Diamond’ produced an inspired performance to finish McGregor inside two rounds.

A series of brutal leg kicks broke McGregor down before a flurry of punches forced the referee into action well before the halfway point in the bout.

McGregor’s next move is likely to be a third fight with Poirier in order to settle the scores, with both men having beaten each other once after the Irishman scored a quick-fire knockout victory in their first meeting in 2014.

Khabib, who defeated the Dublin-born fighter with a frightening display of dominance three years ago, has since revealed his belief that McGregor will not be able to rescue his career despite claims that he will come back stronger than ever.

The fearsome grappling specialist told Magomed Ismailov that it is impossible for an individual athlete to recapture their best form once they are over the hill.

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When asked if McGregor could ever return to the peak of his powers, Khabib replied: “Never. There is no way that a man can be at the peak for two times.

“I’m not [just] talking about him. 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.”

Khabib is known to harbour a strong dislike for McGregor after the Irishman’s controversial pre-fight antics before the pair met in 2018.

During the bout, he was seen verbally mocking the Irishman while delivering a brutal beating before his opponent was forced to tap out midway through the fourth round.

UFC president Dana White has been vocal in his plans to convince Khabib to face McGregor once again, having already spoken to the former over the possibility of a return to the Octagon.

He claimed last week that he is hopeful of achieving his goal, suggesting that Khabib may eventually agree to the proposal as a result of his hatred towards McGregor.

“Khabib’s not meeting with me for no reason,” explained White. “He would say, ‘There’s no need to meet. What’s the point in having a meeting?

“‘Love ya, it’s been great. Thank you, but we don’t need to meet, you know my answer.’ He hasn’t said that, has he?

“I also believe he hates Conor McGregor so bad. The hate that these two have is as real as anything you have ever seen.

“And I believe that if Conor came out of this thing [the Poirier trilogy], and Conor was going to be the guy to win the title? Now I truly believe that he would fight Conor.

“I believe that. Maybe I’m wrong, but we’ll see how it all plays out.”

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