Mike Tyson wants Khabib Nurmagomedov to reconsider his position about the Conor McGregor rematch.
The lightweight pair first battled at UFC 229, where Nurmagomedov made McGregor tapped in the fourth round after locking in a neck crank.
‘The Notorious’ from Ireland, who is set to make his official mixed martial arts comeback on January 18, 2020, has said he wants to have another shot at the lightweight champ.
Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov is likely to defend his title against Tony Ferguson next, following a masterful performance against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242.
Asked about a potential rematch with McGregor, Khabib said the Irishman should stop talking too much and start winning fights to get back to title-contention.
“Hang on, this guy talks and this guy just acts’. Just talking is one thing, but when it comes to doing it, he’s completely different,” he said during a Q and A in Moscow, (translations by RT Sport).
“So for me there are no kind of announcements or insults. He’s an idiot. We don’t pay attention to idiots.”
The Condition
Khabib also questioned if McGregor really wants the rematch because he has been inactive for more than a year now.
“Honestly I don’t think he wants that fight. How is that so? I beat him up for four rounds.”
“I beat him and choked him and he tapped. It was a sign he didn’t want to be there, ‘let me go please’ and all that. And now he wants the rematch.”
”First of all he has to earn it. We’re in the fourth year since his last victory.”
To this, the lightweight champ said McGregor needs to win at least 10 fights in a row.
“It’s been three years and now we’re in the fourth. In order to fight for the title I had to win 10 fights in a row in the UFC. That’s not counting the 16 victories I had outside the UFC.”
“In every fight I earned it not with my mouth but with my actions. That’s where we’re different – he talks about it, I just do it.”
Chance To Earn More
But if ‘Iron Mike’ were to ask, he wants Nurmagomedov to give McGregor the rematch he is craving for as it will be a an opportunity for the Russian to earn a big paycheck.
Tyson also believes McGregor will never beat the UFC lightweight champion.
“Khabib beat him [McGregor], right? But they still want the fight. People still want to see them fight.”
“He’s not going to beat Khabib. He’s gonna never beat him. But people are still going to pay to see them fight.”
“Khabib is going to get more money beating this guy – that he knows he can beat – than he would ever get in a competitive fight against a guy that’s capable of beating him.”
“So, why not fight him ten times? People will pay to see him fight ten times, to see him lose ten times.”
“Now that’s marketing… millions, billions. He’s a genius, you can’t take that away.”
Unfortunately for McGregor, Nurmagomedov is eyeing a super fight with Georges St-Pierre after the Ferguson fight. He also plans to retire from fighting in two or three years.
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Conor McGregor, Mike Tyson, and Khabib Nurmagomedov)