Khabib Dismisses McGregor's Cerrone Victory As 'Not High Level'
Khabib Nurmagomedov has dismissed his great rival Conor McGregor's victory over Donald Cerrone and its values within the stacked lightweight picture.
Knocking out Cerrone in 40 seconds was the type of victory that did enough to see Conor regain some much-needed momentum as he sets up to continue his 2020 'season'.
Conor steamed through the veteran with a diverse barrage of strikes that threw Cowboy off his game from the very first bell.
Closing out the striking exchanges with a wonderfully-timed headkick, Conor moved in for the kill and finished the fight shortly after with a series of ground-and-pound shots - forcing referee intervention before the opening minute had even elapsed.
It was about as clean a victory as any McGregor fan could have ever hoped for but in truth, there were still quite a number of supporters left with questions about Conor's suitability to a place within the top-ranks.
One of these people, Khabib Nurmagomedov, believes that there is still quite a bit of work to do, on the part of McGregor, to prove that he is up to scratch.
Speaking during a recent interview with TMZ, the UFC lightweight champion turned his gaze to Donald Cerrone and his suitability for a showdown with the former champ, McGregor.
"He's not high level. Of course, he has a big name, but his time is finished.
"Cowboy always loses all his main event fights, always. I don't remember when he win. In last 10 fights, I think he's lost 7 times."
Citing his own resumé as a far more challenging selection of opponents, Khabib compared his run with that of Conor - drawing attention to the numerous top-level lightweights he has crushed on his way towards his current spot atop the pack.
"I compete with guys like Barboza, dos Anjos, Conor, Poirier, Iaquinta. All of these guys not tough like Tony Ferguson.
"For my legacy, I have to beat tough opponents. I have to beat all of them who's like real contenders, not fake contenders."
Khabib will come face-to-face with one of the most fearsome tests in the game as he steps in against Tony Ferguson in one of the most eagerly anticipated clashes in the history of the sport at UFC 249 in April.
We all know the story at this point. Four failed attempts at putting this contest together have only served to build this fight up to an even greater level of intrigue and while fans are understandably concerned about both men and their ability to make the walk, if we do, in fact, see this matchup become a reality, there's no doubt that it will be amongst the year's most unmissable fighting spectacles.
