Khabib Nurmagomedov is not convinced Conor McGregor has come close to earning a rematch with him.
Nurmagomedov turned away McGregor for the UFC lightweight championship in October 2018. On the back of a new contract, the defending champion is set to retain his title against interim beltholder Dustin Poirier at UFC 242.
The Russian-born fighter has not fought since submitting McGregor in the fourth round of their pay-per-view match, where bedlam ensued after opposing cornermen rushed the cage.
“The last three years he only have one victory in amateur boxing, how he deserve rematch?” Nurmagomedov said about McGregor via ESPN. “He tapped—he begged me ‘please, don’t kill me’ and he talks about rematch.”
“Tony Ferguson on the line. People who have win streak are on the line but not the guy who don’t win nothing the last three years.”
“I have a lot of work without him. Right now, I’m focused on Sept. 7.”
Nurmagomedov, 30, having claimed the vacant belt against Al Iaquinta, extending his undefeated ledger, now faces another former featherweight in the surging Poirier.
Poirier holds two wins over Max Holloway, but was stopped in the first round of a featherweight bout with McGregor back in 2014. He’s lost just once since, picking up four post-fight bonuses at UFC gold along the way.
UFC 242 will go down in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 7.
