Khabib Nurmagomedov willing to rematch Conor McGregor in Moscow

Khabib Nurmagomedov has previously been opposed to the idea of a rematch with Conor McGregor, who he defeated by submission in late 2018. Apparently, however, the lightweight champion has changed his tune. That’s according to his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

According to the elder Nurmagomedov, Khabib is willing to rematch McGregor — if McGregor is willing to undertake the challenge on Russian soil, in Moscow.

“If McGregor wants it, then Moscow is waiting for him,” he said on YouTube channel ‘Zhivina100’ (translation via RT Sport). “He said once that he has more fans here than Khabib. We want to host him in Moscow, he is welcome – we are waiting.”

While it sounds like Nurmagomedov is willing to fight McGregor for a second time, the priority remains a long-awaited showdown with top contender Tony Ferguson. The champ’s father would like to see this collision occur in Madison Square Garden in New York City in March — but no sooner.

“But before McGregor we should finish our business with Ferguson,” Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov admitted.”Because he had 28 fights, and runs a 12-fight winning streak in the UFC, just like Khabib. Such winning streaks and such big fights have never happened in the UFC.

“So I think Madison Square Garden is a good place for this fight, but we won’t fight earlier than March.”

Looking past this Ferguson matchup, a Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor rematch in Moscow certainly seems possible. In fact, the Irishman actually called for a do-over with Nurmagomedov in that exact setting.

Book my rematch for Moscow.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 7, 2019

“Book my rematch for Moscow,” McGregor wrote on Twitter shortly after Nurmagomedov defeated Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 last month.

Do you think we’ll see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor fight again in Moscow in 2020? If so, who wins the rematch? Make your pick in the comments section.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/3/2019.