UFC Rumors: Who Will Be the First to Challenge Newly Crowned Lightweight Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov?
The dust has finally settled on "UFC 223," and in the aftermath of a chaotic fight night and fight week, it was none other than Khabib Nurmagomedov who emerged with the UFC Lightweight title wrapped around his waist.
Of course, coronations are never really celebrated that long in the UFC and talks quickly turn to which fighter should have the next opportunity to take down the new champion.
In Nurmagomedov's case, there are more than a few interesting candidates.
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The first name that comes to mind as a potential Nurmagomedov challenger belongs to none other than Conor McGregor.
McGregor is arguably the promotion's biggest star at the moment, and he can stake a claim to the title Nurmagomedov holds because he didn't lose his championship in a fight. Still, even if McGregor's case to be the next challenger has merit, he may have other things he will need to deal with first before he even plans a return to the Octagon after his involvement in an incident last week.
The next few weeks should bring more clarity regarding McGregor's situation with the UFC, and only after then can it be determined if he can be the next challenger for Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov himself put forth the name of someone he could face next, with that name belonging to Georges St-Pierre.
Nurmagomedov hinted at his desire to fight St-Pierre after defeating Iaquinta, and judging by the way the crowd reacted, they want to see that bout, too.
As a recent article from MMA Junkie noted though, there are hurdles that need to be cleared before that fight can be made. Apparently, Nurmagomedov is not keen on the idea of moving up a weight class to challenge GSP, and the longtime welterweight king seemingly has no interest in shedding more weight as well.
So, if McGregor and GSP tough to book for fights at this point, could the UFC look to pair Nurmagomedov again with the man he was originally meant to face at "UFC 223," with that being Tony Ferguson?
That doesn't seem likely either as UFC president Dana White previously told ESPN that he would not set up that fight again now that is fallen through on four separate occasions.
If the decision-makers at the UFC want to be more conservative in terms of booking Nurmagomedov's first title defense, then they may select a proven contender like Eddie Alvarez or they could go with the winner of the upcoming Dustin Poirier–Justin Gaethje fight.
If Nurmagomedov will only sign on for a higher profile fight, then the UFC could look to pair him up with current UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway again or go for the even bigger star in Nate Diaz.
Though it remains difficult to book an opponent for Nurmagomedov currently, things may be different after some time has passed and the situations of other fighters are clearer. For now, Nurmagomedov can rest up and continue working on improving his skills.
More news about who Nurmagomedov will fight next and other big UFC bouts should be made available in the near future.
