Conor McGregor open to rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov
The 30-year-old shared the details of his bout against Khabib in the UFC when the Irish fighter was tapped out in the fourth round.
New Delhi: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Conor McGregor has expressed his desire for a rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov following his recent defeat at the hands of the Russian boxer.
In a lengthy Instagram post, McGregor wrote, "If it is not the rematch right away, no problem. I will face the next in line. It's all me always, anyway."
The 30-year-old also shared the details of his bout against Khabib in the UFC on October 6, when the Irish fighter was tapped out in the fourth round.
In his analytical round-wise post, McGregor said that from a sports standpoint, the first round belonged to Khabib while from a fight standpoint, he deserved the point.
"I believe from a sports standpoint, round 1 was his. Top position against the fence. From a fight standpoint, the first round is mine. The opponent just holding the legs against the fence for almost the entire round," he said.
For the second round, he had no issues as Khabib played a smart move to remove him.
"After the shot, I bounced back up to engage instantly, but again he dipped under to disengage. That is the sport and it was a smart move that led to a dominant round, so no issue. Well played," he wrote.
The Irish fighter further stated that round two was the worst one of his career, however, he didn't lose his spirit and won the next round.
"After the worst round of my fighting career, I come back and win this round. Again walking forward, walking him down, and willing to engage," he said in the post.
Though McGregor won the early points in the final exchange, he said the game left him in a bad position.
"Although winning the early exchanges in 4, he dips under again and I end up in a bad position with over 3 on the clock. I work to regain position and end up upright, with my back to the fence," he concluded his post.
This was McGregor's first big fight after his boxing match with five-division boxing champion Floyd Mayweather back on August 26, 2017.
Khabib is the current lightweight division champion, while McGregor is a two-division (lightweight and featherweight) Mixed Martial Arts champion.