Published 15:10 IST, May 18th 2023
Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov: Why rematch never taking place was good for UFC?
Fans still contemplate what would have happened had Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch had taken place. Three reasons why it was never a good idea.
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As Conor McGregor's "McGregor Forever" documentary has hit the OTT platform, Conor vs Khabib is a subject that has again started to reverberate. Even if you are not a fight fan the chances are very high that in your lifetime once at least you have encountered the noise of the Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov fight that took place in 2018 at UFC 229. If not, now you have.
It is the fight that may still give the chills to the ones who witnessed the entire contest. Right from the moment the fight became official to the disturbing exchanges that took place during all the pressers. The tension that was build up did not leave even after the match ended and a commotion broke out between the teams. As Khabib Nurmagomedov won the fight and climbed the Octagon to "smash" Dillon Danis it became evident that the rivalry has not finished. With all that transpired at the event, the Pay-Per-View garnered a record 2.4 million PPV buys. The excitement among fight fans was to such an extent that they wanted to see a rematch at that very second.
The want of a rematch stayed unmoved and made waves in 2020 when The Notorious made his comeback and The Eagle was right there too. But before anybody could take place the emergence of COVID-19 drained every possibility. Khabib retired in 2020 and the fans' dream of watching Khabib and Conor again in the Octagon broke forever. While the hardcore enthusiasts still be hopeful that one day the fight will take place. While it may not, let's also pay heed to why Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov 2.0 was never a good idea for the fans and UFC.
Also Read: Footage Released Of Conor McGregor's First Reaction To Heartbreaking Loss To Khabib -WATCH
Khabib Outclassed Conor
Khabib Nurmagomedov's thumping victory over Conor McGregor made it clear that Mystic Mac does not have the ground game to tackle Khabib. Another fight might have ended in the same fashion and as he has done it before, Conor might have announced retirement or the fans would have lost interest in McGregor forever- not the name of the documentary.
Conor's victory would have buried Khabib
Khabib Nurmagomedov is seen as one of the GOATS of the MMA but if he had lost he would have been buried. Don't agree? Let us push the clock further back. Jose Aldo was once considered the finest MMA fighter of all time, he was P4P number 1, but after losing to McGregor in 13 seconds, Aldo's trajectory declined, and as a result loss, loss, and loss, and out of UFC. Most people might not be knowing where Jose Aldo is at the moment. There's a reason to suspect a similar thing might have happened with Nurmagomedov had he lost to Conor.
Best things happen once
Khabib vs Conor is perhaps the biggest-ever rivalry in UFC. The reason it is still making waves and continue to do is because of the drama associated with the fight. The fans want to see more of that drama but the history-making event only takes place once. And there is no repeat of that. UFC is not WWE and there is no place for "Twice in a lifetime here".
What do you think, should the rematch have taken place? Fight fans make a sound of their intensity in the comments section below. Give your counter.
15:10 IST, May 18th 2023