McGregor vows to knock out Russian rival in one round
NEW YORK: Conor McGregor sipped whiskey and boasted he would need just one round to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov and reclaim the UFC lightweight title during a typically wild news conference to promote his return to the octagon on Thursday.
McGregor repeatedly referenced the infamous April incident when he threw a metal dolly through the window of a bus carrying Nurmagomedov and other UFC fighters, leading to his arrest and eventual guilty plea.
The 30-year-old Irishman told reporters in New York that he was glad that he had been unable to coax the Russian off the bus that day.
“I just thank the lord Jesus Christ that man did not... step foot off that bus,” McGregor said, pointing to Nurmagomedov.
“Because if that bus door would have opened, this man would be dead right now,” he added.
“He would be in a box and I would be in a cell.”
McGregor, who owns a 21-3 record in UFC and is a former champion at featherweight and lightweight, predicted his first fight in the octagon in two years would be a short.
“I believe one,” McGregor said when asked how many rounds it would take to dispatch Nurmagomedov, who he called a “rat.”
The undefeated Russian was the calmer of the two during the press conference, never raising his voice or getting out of his chair as McGregor tore into him and his family between plugs for his whiskey.
The fight will be held Oct. 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.