UFC 229: Conor McGregor ends hiatus to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov
UFC 229 is right around the corner and fans are already excited about watching their favorite stars fighting it out at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas - which can be watched on pay-per-view from the comfort of your home in October. If you were wondering which match has all the fans’ attention, guess no more, it the one to be held on October 6, when Conor McGregor will return to UFC and take on the current champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The spectacular news was shared by Dana White, the President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, at the promotion's 25th anniversary. "I wouldn't say this is a crossroads fight," White said when he was asked what was at stake for McGregor's legacy. "This is a very important fight for both fighters. For Khabib, who is undefeated and who is looked at as one of the best fighters in the world, beating Conor is massive for him.
"And obviously for Conor, coming back from a two-year layoff, in my opinion - and it's crazy to say this because of how popular he is around the world - but he's one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC. Everybody thinks because he speaks so well and gets so crazy and everything, it makes him sort of less of a fighter. It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen," he added.
As White knows very well, "This is an easy fight to promote," and many have already picked their sides for the upcoming battle, with one excited fan stating, "It's khabib time ... Most dominant fighter in MMA history," and another opining, "McGregor has 10 seconds at the start of each round to knock Khabib cold before being taken down and smashed to bits."
Conor fans, meanwhile are standing along the lines of, "Wow, I can't actually believe this is happening. I hope Conor pulls this off, respect to him on taking this fight when many people thought he was ducking Khabib. I'm happy he took the challenge. And it's not one of the biggest fight, its the biggest fight in history so far." Another fan said, "Conor will be much more confident in this fight than Khabib, cuz he's pretty sure he can defend the takedowns, and he's definitely sure he can win standing, while Khabib counts only on the takedowns. That can make a difference."
“The Notorious” hasn’t competed in UFC since winning the lightweight title against former divisional champion Eddie Alvarez back at UFC 205 in 2016. Recently he was in the midst of legal troubles stemming from a Brooklyn bus attack, which caused him to be sidelined until the case was adjudicated after he took a plea deal that kept him from serving any jail time.