Khabib Nurmagomedov Destroys Michael Johnson At ‘UFC 205: Alvarez Vs. McGregor’ — Is ‘The Eagle’ Next In Line To Fight ‘The Notorious’?

On Saturday, November 13, Khabib Nurmagomedov made his comeback to MMA action at UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor. The second fight for “The Eagle” after two years away from combat was successful, defeating Michael Johnson. Is Nurmagomedov is next in line to fight Conor McGregor?

According to Fox Sports, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fight with Michael Johnson would test if he still had what it takes to be a top contender after being away for so long. For those of you who do not remember, Nurmagomedov was sidelined from MMA action for about two years because of injuries.

It started after Khabib Nurmagomedov fought against Rafael dos Anjos back in April 19, 2014, at UFC on FOX: Werdum vs. Browne. Nurmagomedov was set to fight Donald Cerrone next, but he had to pull out of the fight twice — one at UFC 178 and the other at UFC 187 — due to knee injuries. Next, he was supposed to fight Tony Ferguson at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale, but once again, he was injured. After two years of pulling out of fights due to injuries, Khabib Nurmagomedov would finally fight again at UFC on FOX 19 against Darrell Horcher.

Nothing against Darrell Horcher, but he was surely the underdog going into his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, despite the fact the latter was sidelined for almost two years. For starters, Horcher was a newcomer to UFC. Even his record of 12-1-0, though good by raw numbers, was attained through fights mostly in minor MMA leagues. As a matter of fact, only three fights were considered as direct competition to UFC: Bellator MMA. It is also there that Horcher suffered his first loss when Phillipe Nover won via unanimous decision at Bellator 95. Also, Nurmagomedov did not actually fight at his weight. He fought at a catchweight of 160 pounds.

Michael Johnson, at the time of their fight, was one of the top 10 fighters in the UFC Lightweight Division. Since Khabib Nurmagomedov usually fights in that division, he would truly be tried and tested by taking on a ranked fighter in his division. He would prove his point by not just holding his own against Johnson but actually finishing the fight 2:31 into the third round by submission with a kimura lock. Take note that the last time Nurmagomedov finished a fight was on January 19, 2013, when he handed Thiago Tavares a TKO with punches and elbows at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping, 1:55 into the first round.

After he defeated Michael Johnson, Khabib Nurmagomedov threw out some verbal jabs at both UFC and Conor McGregor, as detailed by MMA Junkie. It reports that Nurmagomedov believes he deserved a title shot against Eddie Alvarez more than McGregor given the fact that McGregor tapped out to Nate Diaz at UFC 196 while he has an undefeated record of 24 career wins.

“What do you think? Do you think I deserve [a title shot]? It’s like, we don’t know, maybe. What are you talking about? Like if Conor makes a different decision? This is number one bull****. I think the Irish fans understand who deserves this. I think I have a lot of Irish fans too because I dominate all my opponents. Conor comes to lightweight and talks about, ‘I’m the greatest.’ But you guys know at the beginning of the year he tapped like a chicken, and at the end of the year, he fights for the title. It’s very interesting. I don’t understand.”

Looks like UFC has their next potential moneymaking feud given the fact that Conor McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez for the UFC Lightweight Championship by TKO just 3:04 into the second round. “The Notorious” versus “The Eagle,” the first double champion of UFC versus the undefeated fighter of the UFC Lightweight Division, will surely be something worth watching.

[Featured Image by Andre Penner/AP Images]