Khabib Nurmagomedov Explains Lack of Conor McGregor Confrontation at World Cup Finals

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former dual-division champion Conor McGregor, now fierce rivals, were both in attendance at the recent 2018 World Cup Finals at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Surprisingly enough, however, the two did not cross paths.

That’s probably a good thing for McGregor because, last time they did, he landed in legal trouble.

“I thought I’d meet McGregor at the Luzhniki Stadium,” Nurmagomedov said, according to a translation by Express.co.uk. “But even if we meet now, we still will not be able to find out who is stronger. If there was a cage in the middle of the arena, it would be more interesting. And now something to find out on the street and so on. We are not at that age and not in that position.

“It would be ideal if there were no one around. Or vice versa: to the full stadium, in the middle of the cage, and in it. In general, I see no reason to approach him now. We are hospitable people.”

Though Nurmagomedov and McGregor are expected to eventually battle for the Dagestani fighter’s UFC lightweight title, they last crossed up in April, when McGregor went berserk and was eventually arrested.

McGregor and a handful of his cohorts crashed the dock area after the UFC 223 Media Day and attacked a bus full of UFC fighters waiting to be transported back to their hotel. McGregor was thought to be after Nurmagomedov, who had an altercation with the Irishman’s teammate, Artem Lobov, in the days prior.

This article first appeared at News – MMAWeekly.com