CONOR MCGREGOR could put an end to his bitter feud with Khabib Nurmagomedov once and for all – if he faces his long-time rival’s protege.
The pair took part in the biggest fight in UFC history nearly six years ago after one of the promotion’s ugliest pre-bout build-ups.
Nurmagomedov, who retired from MMA in October 2020, won the grudge match via fourth-round submission but the bad blood remains.
McGregor, 36, has taken several potshots at the Russian on social media in recent years, leading many to wonder if the hatchet will ever be buried.
Nurmagomedov’s good pal and former training partner Daniel Cormier believes there’s a chance ‘The Eagle’ could put his dislike of McGregor behind him – if The Notorious faces current lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.
The former two-division champion said on the latest episode of Good Guy, Bad Guy: “He just hates Khabib.
“He hates him… They are not letting it go.
“It’s deep-rooted, but it’s deep-rooted on both sides, honestly… [Khabib] doesn’t like this guy, bro.
“They don’t like each other. This is crazy. It really is. It’s deep.
“It’s very deep, but I think the closest thing you would get to a resolution in that is, again, Conor beating [Michael Chandler] and then earning a championship fight against Islam Makhachev, right?”
Makhechev, who was trained by Nurmagomedov’s late father and coach Abdulamanap, has already revealed he’s open to sharing the octagon with McGregor.
And Cormier believes Nurmagomedov would take solace from Dagestani destroyer doing a number on his former foe.
‘DC’ continued: “Then Khabib could probably try to find some comfort in that and Conor could try to actually find redemption in trying to beat the guy that became the guy, right?
“So, there’s stories there.
” I don’t know [if] that it happens because Michael Chandler can’t seem to get a date.”
McGregor was due to make his cage comeback in June in a long-overdue showdown with Chandler.
But the Return of the Mac was postponed after he suffered a broken left pinky toe in one of his final sparring sessions before fight night.
It’s understood the promotion is targeting December 14 for the Irishman’s rescheduled return.
And in an exclusive interview with SunSport, The Notorious revealed he likes the sound of closing out the UFC’s pay-per-view schedule.
The UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion told SunSport: “That sounds good to me.
“That sounds good to me brother.”
