Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor: The Biggest Fight In UFC History?

What some are calling the biggest fight in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has already been signed. Now, the question is: will it live up to such hype?

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the header for said fight would be Conor McGregor, the the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion who hasn’t competed in any combat event almost exactly a year ago. But with Russian-born Khabib Nurmagomedov currently holding the lightweight championship, McGregor looks to return to mixed martial arts by resuming his reign atop the division.

The two will face each other on October 6th, 2018, as the main event for UFC 229, taking place at T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas.

Due to his hiatus from the UFC, McGregor was forced to relinquish the 155-pound championship earlier this spring. When the title became vacant, Nurmagomedov defeated Al Iaquinta by unanimous decision to win the title. The intersection between these two fighters marks an interesting one. At 26-0, the undefeated Nurmagomedov can cement his legacy within the UFC by doing what almost nobody else has been able to accomplish in recent years: defeat McGregor.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Between Thanksgiving of 2010 until the present, McGregor has gone 17-1, with his lone loss coming two years ago at the hands of Nate Diaz; McGregor, of course, avenged said loss at UFC 196 by beating Diaz at UFC 202 by majority decision.

Interestingly enough, while Nurmagomedov might hold the lightweight title at the moment, it was long overdue in his own eyes. He signed a contract with the UFC in September of 2016 that entitled him to a title shot against former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. However, the UFC instead decided to give McGregor the shot against Alvarez, whom McGregr defeated. Nurmagomedov was highly vocal of the UFC’s decision, especially after defeating Michael Johnson in a rather lopsided match.

Coincidentally, that fight against Alvarez was actually the last time McGregor fought in a UFC match. McGregor made short work of Alvarez that evening, but that took place almost two years ago. As much as anything, that layoff from the ring has many wondering what could happen at UFC 229: will McGregor show any signs of “rust,” or will pick up where he left off?

Furthering the plot, what would a UFC fight involving McGregor without some pre-fight antics? We all know that McGregor — and Dana White — like to ensure there’s an element of bad blood — whether real or contrived — between the two antics; we certainly have an element of that in the match against Nurmagomedov. In early April, McGregor chased a bus that was transporting Nurmagomedov (along with several other UFC fighters), and hurled a metal equipment dolly at said bus, along with several other objects. Two fighters — Ray Borg, and Michael Chiesa — sustained injuries as a result of glass that shattered because of the projectiles thrown. McGregor was charged with three counts of assault and an additional count of criminal mischief. McGregor charged no context to a bargained-down charge of disorderly conduct, and forced to perform five days of community service and attend anger management classes.

White is certainly hoping the latter classes aren’t too effective, in the case of McGregor’s fight against Nurmagomedov.