Khabib Talks About Facing Distractions Ahead Of UFC 242

Conor McGregor’s antics against Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of their fight last year were apparent and Khabib had to work hard to focus on the fight.

Khabib beat McGregor at the fourth round by a rear naked choke.

On September 7^th, Khabib will be facing Dustin Poirier in UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi to unify the lightweight and interim lightweight belts.

This time he is facing a different kind of distraction which does not involve insults from his rival.

Khabib spoke to RT Sport ahead of his second lightweight title defense, and  stated that the lack of pre-fight insults by Dustin Poirier does not affect him as he does not care about heated rivalries.

“It’s not really necessary to have a verbal conflict to be motivated. Motivation can be sporting, and I have that. Why not?” Stated Khabib.

“When you go there and compete with a rival, it doesn’t matter if it’s a fight, a sports competition, or in a gym, motivation is always there. And I still have it. I’m not a 50-year-old, so I don’t have any problems with motivation. Whether I have it or not, you’ll see on September 7.”

Khabib stated there will be some distractions though, stating that his friends that are fighting on the undercard might distract him as they are close to him and he does not want to see him lose.

However, he affirmed that “The main thing for them is to motivate me for my victory. We’re hoping only for victory.”