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Conor McGregor "Probably Hoping And Praying" Dustin Poirier Beats Khabib Nurmagomedov At UFC 242

Conor McGregor "Probably Hoping And Praying" Dustin Poirier Beats Khabib Nurmagomedov At UFC 242

Nurmagomedov defends his title against Poirier in September.

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

Former UFC champion Michael Bisping believes Conor McGregor's easiest path to a title shot is if Dustin Poirier beats Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242.

Nurmagomedov, who hasn't fought since his victory over McGregor, returns to the famed Octagon in September when he faces Poirier.

And ahead of their Abu Dhabi showdown, Bisping has claimed that McGregor's "probably hoping and praying Poirier beats Nurmagomedov" as he holds a victory over the interim-champion.

"He's probably hoping and praying that Poirier beats Khabib in Abu Dhabi," Bisping said on his Believe You Me podcast.

"If Poirier beats Khabib, obviously we all know Conor has that massive win over Poirier. He did it very, very easily. He made short work of Poirier back in the day.

"Alright, it was back in the day, it was at [145 pounds], but even still, if Poirier wins, there's a possibility of setting up that rematch. That's his shot - and easier shot at the title."

Image: PA
Image: PA

McGregor's desperate to run it back with Nurmagomedov following their explosive UFC 229 bout, but Bisping doesn't think the Irishman will get the rematch after UFC 242.

"I don't think he gets that fight [after UFC 242]," he added. "The Poirier fight, definitely, I can see them doing that.

"From the UFC's perspective, they're going to do it [the rematch with Nurmagomedov]. [The first fight] was the biggest pay-per-view ever, the rematch is going to be even bigger. Rematches sell, especially with the amount of bad blood, especially with what happened after the fight outside the Octagon. The rematch is going to be huge. I just think Conor has to win another fight first."

Image: PA
Image: PA

McGregor hasn't fought since his submission defeat to Nurmagomedov in October, but he's recently been linked with another rematch in the form of Jose Aldo.

A lightweight match-up is reportedly in the works for UFC 244.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor Mcgregor, UFC 242, UFC News, McGregor Nurmagomedov, Fight News, UFC, MMA

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Darren Till, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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