An unexpected rendezvous between Conor McGregor and Islam Makhachev occurred at the IBA Champions Night event in Dubai. McGregor faced off against Petr Yan, the former bantamweight champion of the UFC.
Also, reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev was seated on the opposite side of the ring.
A short 15-second video captured the moment. It starts by focusing on McGregor, seemingly providing instructions to the competitors. The camera then swiftly shifts towards Islam Makhachev. His attention remains fixed on the ongoing match, and the video ends.
Makhachev’s presence made the unfolding drama more exciting, primarily due to his close ties with MMA icon Khabib Nurmagomedov. On the other hand, Khabib is an adversary of McGregor.
The close encounter between Conor McGregor and Islam Makhachev during the IBA Night of Champions boxing event got the MMA community excited. It brought in comments and responses from dedicated fans.
McGregor’s face-off with former bantamweight champion Petr Yan further amplified the event’s tension.
Some fans adopted a light-hearted perspective, seeing humor in the situation. But others adopted a more serious stance, expressing concerns about the potential negative outcomes of such proximity. Several combat sports enthusiasts commended the organizers for judiciously keeping these two MMA legends distanced.
Some of the comments are as follows:
“This could end badly…”
“Let’s be real… Islam absolutely thrashing Conor if he wants it.”
“Funny that some think that this brawl would be of equals. One is a current champ, the other hasn’t won anything for 8(!) years, crazy”
This unexpected proximity gave rise to speculations regarding a prospective match between McGregor and Makhachev. UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier had previously fueled this conjecture.
Fans welcomed the notion of this matchup, envisioning it not merely as a clash of combat sports styles but also as a symbolic rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and McGregor.