Khabib Nurmagomedov promises to make Conor McGregor ‘give up’ after 100 takedowns

Now that Conor McGregor has been slapped on the wrist and cleared to return to the Octagon, a massive money fight with current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov looms in the near future.

After all, McGregor’s legal troubles stemmed from “Notorious” smashing up a bus at UFC 223 earlier this year in Brooklyn in an attempt to get at “Eagle” for dogging McGregor-henchman Artem Lobov in a hotel lobby.

With both fighters free to collide inside of the Octagon later this year the only thing left to do is sign the dotted line and make it official. Khabib is willing to grant McGregor a title shot in his return to mixed martial arts (MMA) after a two-year absence, but the Russian will have to be compensated quite a bit in the process.

“I’m not going to give him a chance to make money and fight with me,” Nurmagomedov said Friday during a Q&A before UFC on FOX 30’s ceremonial weigh ins (h/t MMAjunkie). “Without me, this fight is impossible. If they want to pay for me a couple hundred thousand and make this fight, make money for UFC and make money for Conor, for a couple hundred thousand, no way, brother.

“Conor is 2-2 in his last four fights. He doesn’t deserve a title shot. But we know that’s the money fight.”

While Nurmagomedov is a terrible matchup for McGregor on paper, the Irish superstar has made a lucrative living out of proving his doubters wrong and rising to the top with one powerful left hand. Khabib understands the dangers of standing opposite “Notorious,” which is why he’s looking to drag McGregor to the canvas and punish him until he can’t take it anymore.

“My plan is make him flat, make him tired and make him give up,” Nurmagomedov said. “This is my plan. I don’t want to finish him early. I want to make him pay for all things that happen. I can’t believe we finally going to fight. We have to sign (the contract). We have to know where we’re going to fight.

“He don’t have conditioning. He don’t have wrestling. He don’t have anything. He have one very good left hand. I’m going to cut this angle and try to take him down 100 times. He think if Khabib fight like I did against Iaquinta, maybe he can beat me. But look at my 10 (UFC) fights. They’re all different.”

This is truly a dream matchup for fight fans. Not only would it be a clash between Ireland and Russia on American soil, but it would feature a true striker vs. wrestler showdown. Nurmagomedov is ready to make all of this a reality and show McGregor what it would have been like to go to jail for his Brooklyn fiasco.

“After tomorrow, I am ready (to fight) after tomorrow,” Nurmagomedov said. “When cage door closes I believe this will happen. … If 25 minutes we can call jail, I think for him it’s going to be jail. For you guys it’s going to be enjoyment.”

Stick with Mania as more Khabib vs. McGregor coverage unfolds.