McGregor Still Concerned Khabib Will Pull Out

With only 5 days until UFC 229, Conor McGregor is still concerned over the possibility that his opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov might pull out. In a recent interview, McGregor echoed his initial concerns that Khabib might pull out of the fight instead of facing him. Additionally, Conor’s striking coach recently and stated that McGregor and the rest of his camp were concerned about Khabib’s potential battle with the scales.

As of now, there have been no indications that Khabib is struggling with weight or angling for a last minute pull out. Per their UFC 229 presser last week, both men look ready and eager to step inside the octagon.

McGregor is Mapping Out What’s Next

Not to be left out in the cold, if for some reason the UFC 229 main event doesn’t happen, McGregor has already come up with some plans to ensure an immediate fight. In an interview with The Mac Life, McGregor made the following comments about his should Khabib pull out:

“Now that I’m here, I’m back and I’m close, if he didn’t show up. I think I would take a fight against either of those (Pettis and Ferguson).”

Anthony Pettis and Tony Ferguson are scheduled to fight each other in the co-main event for UFC 229. Those weren’t the only names that McGregor threw out there:

“I’m already mapping out what’s happening next in my head. I know Dustin and Nate [are] competing. I know the 170-pound belt has also just been defended and I know Tyron [Woodley], the current welterweight champion, is itching for that one — like they all f*cking are. I know Georges is test cutting to 155. I know everyone is around looking for it. I’m here, let’s see what happens next.”

A third fight with Nate Diaz would have some heat and excitement with the fans. I’m not sure it would be smart for McGregor to go all the way up to 170 pounds to take on Woodley. As for GSP cutting weight, that would be an intriguing bout between Conor and GSP.

Edgar and Dos Anjos Were Also on Conor’s Radar

For many fight fans, McGregor’s return in August to take on Nurmagomedov wasn’t actually the first time that Conor desired to get back inside the Octagon. In fact, Conor was actually trying to get back into the fight game earlier this year. McGregor had reached out to the UFC back in March to try and take on Frankie Edgar. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen and Conor blamed the UFC for their fears over not making enough money off the fight with little time to promote.

Despite the failed attempt, Conor reached out again sometime before May to take on Rafael Dos Anjos for an interim belt at the UFC event in Rio de Janero. Once again, the talks didn’t result in a fight.

McGregor expressed that he “missed the game” and wanted to fight. With that said, Conor ended up down a different path – the infamous bus attack. This UFC scandal resulted in the main event for UFC 229 on Saturday.

McGregor has expressed a deep disliking for Khabib and wants to end the man’s career inside the octagon. Nurmagomedov wants to systematically destroy McGregor and shut him up for good. The two men will have the chance on Saturday at UFC 229 live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.