Advertisement

UFC: Khabib’s manager says Conor McGregor ‘can forget about’ rematch or The Ultimate Fighter coaching rivalry

  • Ali Abdelaziz reveals recent conversation with Dana White about Nurmagomedov and McGregor coaching rival teams on reality TV show
  • UFC lightweight champ asked manager ‘how can I be in the same room as him?’ with Abdelaziz offering Usman or Chimaev for show

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov punches Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in Las Vegas in 2018. Photo: AP

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz said the UFC lightweight champion will “never” fight Conor McGregor, be it a rematch in the Octagon or coaching in The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality show.

Advertisement
The Russian (28-0) is set to fight interim champion Justin Gaethje (22-2) at UFC 254 on October 24 after the American beat Tony Ferguson via fifth-round TKO in May. Both Nurmagomedov and Gaethje have had verbal altercations with McGregor (22-4) this year, with Gaethje’s side claiming the Irishman had rejected the chance to fight him twice.
“One of the things this stupid idiot doesn’t know about, too, is last week Dana White called me and said, ‘Ali, what do you think about if Khabib wins, him and Conor do The Ultimate Fighter on ESPN? This is breaking news,” Abdelaziz told TMZ. Abdelaziz’ Dominance MMA manages both Nurmagomedov and Gaethje.

“I said, ‘You know what, I’ll think about it’. He said, ‘Of course, vice versa if Justin wins’. If we do Khabib vs Conor in The Ultimate Fighter as coach, he’s probably going to the hospital because we’re gonna beat his and his whole team’s ass.”

Abdelaziz then claimed the 32-year-old Nurmagomedov clearly said he did not want any interaction with “The Notorious” in the future, citing McGregor’s latest public spat with UFC president Dana White.

Advertisement
Advertisement