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Huge rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor ‘could happen before April next year if stars align’, reveals Russian’s coach
- Khabib Nurmagomedov defends his title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254
- Conor McGregor wants to take on Dustin Poirier before the end of this year
- Khabib’s coach Javier Mendez believes stars could align for McGregor rematch
- If both men win then there could be time at the start of next year for huge fight
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor could fight at the start of next year in a huge rematch if ‘the stars align’, the Russian’s coach Javier Mendez has admitted.
The lightweight champion is currently preparing to face Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on October 24 and McGregor to fight Dustin Poirier before the end of the year, although the UFC want the fight on January 23.
If both men come through their respective contests then there’s a chance of a massive rematch before April next year.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach Javier Mendez (left) talked up a Conor McGregor rematch
McGregor has not fought since January but wants to take on Dustin Poirier before 2020
Mendez told SunSport: ‘Conor did say it has to be before the end of this year.
‘Think about this – Khabib will not fight past the end of April next year (due to Ramadan).
‘So if the stars align properly, based off what Conor is saying, then he could want to put himself in that picture for next year.
‘He has to beat Dustin and then obviously that makes sense. We have to be victorious and then we’ll see what Dana offers us.’
The undefeated Russian put McGregor away with a submission back in October 2018
Khabib has repeatedly shut down chances of a McGregor rematch since beating him two years ago then infamously jumping the cage to spark a brawl.
And his manager Ali Abdelaziz has called on the Irishman to earn back the opportunity to go for the belt.
A rematch win over Poirier, who Khabib beat in a title defence last year, would certainly put the former two-weight champion back in the mix.
It remains to be seen whether Khabib would want the fight again, given the toxic build-up to their first encounter and ugly scenes that followed in T-Mobile Arena.
But if he accepted the match-up it would inevitably be the biggest fight in UFC history.
Khabib has never entertained the idea of a rematch but the stars could align, says Mendez
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