Conor McGregors tränare John Kavanagh avslöjar inte mycket om vad som ligger i framtiden för den irländske MMA-fightern, men han tror att ett möte mellan McGregor och Khabib Nurmagomedov kommer att bli oundvikligt under 2018.
Nurmagomedov är nu bokad mot interimmästaren Tony Ferguson under UFC 223 den 7 april. Det återstår att se om matchen blir om interimbältet eller det riktiga bältet.
Kavanagh förutspådde tidigare att Nurmagomedov kommer att segra mot Ferguson via ett enhälligt domslut. Nu berättar Kvanagh att han tror att McGregor kommer att knocka Khabib inom två ronder vid ett möta.
Via en Q&A på Facebook-sidan ’Wimp2Warriors’:
I do think this is the immovable object and the unstoppable force. They’re on a path to meet each other. I’m of course watching everything that he does. In his last fight, I just think when you’re facing somebody with the type of stopping power Conor has in his hands, if you stand very much upright and just kind of walk toward somebody to get a body lock, that’s a risky strategy.
(Edson) Barboza is a great kicker, but I think trying spinning kicks on somebody who can close the distance quick like Khabib – and has a body-lock heavy grappling game – maybe isn’t the best idea. But for somebody who can make them overextend themselves and has genuine knockout power – and we’ve seen Khabib be wobbled by Michael Johnson, for example.
Kavanagh har svårt att se att mötet inte blir av i år:
I find it hard to visualize anything else other than Conor knocking him out. We have to be ready because he’s shown he can walk through some shots and there will be those grappling exchanges, so we’ve got to be in incredible shape, in great shape. We’ve got to be ready for his chain wrestling and how he puts his takedowns together. But that’s a matchup as a fan I’d love to see. I think it’s an ultimate striker vs. grappler matchup.
I think Conor’s striking, with his submission game as well, would cause problems. But long story short, within two rounds I think Conor would knock him out. I think it would be a little bit like the Eddie Alvarez fight, and he was stopped in the second.
I can’t see it not happening this year. And when it does and all the details are finalized, between the build up and the press conference and everything, it’s going to be an absolutely typical Conor McGregor fight, in that it stops the world. It will be incredible, and I really hope it happens.
