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Conor McGregor is set to make his long-awaited return to the UFC later this fall when he faces off against lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 on Oct. 6. It is the first time that McGregor will be returning to the cage in nearly two years, since he won his now-vacated lightweight title over Eddie Alvarez.
It’s a high-stakes bout for McGregor, but if he loses it may be the end of a career.
While speaking to Russian news outlet RT, MMA insider Robin Black said that he believes McGregor will retire if he loses to Khabib at the event.
“As much as there is so much for each one to gain, there is also a lot for each one to lose. If McGregor loses, in my opinion, he will retire. If McGregor loses this fight, he will retire,” Robin Black said. “If Khabib loses this fight, not only does he lose his undefeated record, but these losses to someone like McGregor, when the temperature has been raised… these losses are painful, they change a fighter forever.”
Conor McGregor last fought in the UFC on November 12, 2016, defeating Eddie Alvarez to claim the UFC lightweight championship. At the time of his big win, McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles in two different weight classes simultaneously; he was also the featherweight champion at the time.
Since that fight, McGregor was stripped of both belts, welcomed his first child to the world, and dabbled in the boxing world for a superfight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Now, he is finally ready to step back into the cage to attempt to reclaim the title that he believes is still his.
Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, claimed the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 223 on April 7, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York. Nurmagomedov scored a unanimous decision victory win over Al Iaquinta in the main event. Khabib was initially scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson for the title, but the bout fell through in the final days leading up to the event and Iaquinta stepped up on short notice.
There are currently no other bouts scheduled for the event, but we can expect fights to be added in the coming weeks.
