Conor McGregor insisted he wants to fight three times in 2020. The Irishman did not fight for the UFC during 2017. His only fight in 2018, which headlined UFC 229 and was against lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
McGregor meets Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246, which takes place on January 18 at T-Mobile Arena. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov meets Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18.
According to UFC president Dana White, if McGregor can get through Cerrone and if Nurmagoedov can get through Ferguson then he’d looking for a rematch for both fighters.
Speaking to reporters, Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz has revealed his client hit-list of fighters he wants to take on in 2020, and McGregor doesn’t rate a mention.
“Listen, Dana’s the greatest promoter in history, and I respect the man very much. He has to make people care about Conor. And by mentioning Khabib’s name, he is making Conor more relevant.” Abdelaziz said.
“It’s OK. He promote, can do whatever. Khabib has a plan, Dana has a plan, Sometimes we’ll get upset, sometimes we’ll agree, but business moves on. But Conor’s not on our radar. He might lose to ‘Cowboy,’ as far as I understand. I think he might lose.” Abdelaziz added.
McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh claimed that the “Notorious” is in his best shape ahead of his fight against Cerrone. However, Abdelaziz was unimpressed by the claim.
“Listen, his coaches before the fight with Nurmagomedov said, ‘He’s ready, he’s going to knock Khabib out inside three rounds, he’s never been in better shape.’ And after that, they said they had a horrible camp, his food was like a balloon.” Abdelaziz said.
“They’re liars. He looks like a blew-out balloon. He’s a bodybuilder. That’s what I think. He’s getting no love from us.” Abdelaziz added.