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UFC ‘would be smart’ to keep Conor McGregor and Khabib apart on Fight Island after past bust-ups, warns coach

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KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV’S coach warned it ‘would be smart’ for the UFC to keep the champion away from Conor McGregor on Fight Island.

McGregor arrived in Abu Dhabi ahead of his fighting return, as he rematches Dustin Poirier in the UFC 257 headliner.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Conor McGregor in 2018 [/caption]

But, also on Yas Island is lightweight king Nurmagomedov, who will be cornering and supporting his cousin Umar, who faces Sergey Morozov.

With the potential for the UFC’s most bitter rivals, both 32, to clash due to their heated past, coach Javier Mendez reckons the smart call is to separate them.

Mendez told RT Sport MMA: “I would think that they would try to avoid Khabib and Conor meeting.

“That would be smart, I would agree. I think 100 per cent it makes sense to avoid them meeting.”

Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor at UFC 229 in 2018, in the promotion’s most lucrative fight ever with 2.4million pay-per-views sold.

It followed on from a nasty build up, where Mendez said Khabib’s ‘country, religion, family’ were all attacked.

As a result, while the trainer hails McGregor’s skills and UFC career, he holds ill-will towards the Irishman personally.

Mendez said: “People always ask me what I think about Conor as a fighter, not as a person.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov with coach Javier Mendez [/caption]

“As a fighter he’s fantastic, one of the best I’ve ever seen but as a person I don’t like him.

“I don’t like what he does, I don’t like him speaking about country, religion, family.  

“Just the art of war type tactics. I don’t think it should ever come into play in the fight game.

“Talk trash to him but leave all that other stuff alone, he did his research, he attacked all those things, talking religion, talking country, that’s the reason I don’t particularly care for him.”

After Nurmagomedov’s win, a post-fight brawl between the opposing camps broke out inside and outside the cage.

It has fulled demand for a rematch, but Khabib’s UFC future remains undecided having retired in October.

It was the first fight since the loss of his influential father Abdulmanap, who passed away aged 57 in July after contracting coronavirus.

But beforehand, Nurmagomedov revealed it was always their plan to hang up the gloves 30-0.

With the Russian one win away from doing so, UFC president Dana White spoke to Khabib on Fight Island about coming back for one final fight.

And Nurmagomedov – who is yet to lose his belt – revealed he will only come out of retirement if a lightweight contender impresses him enough to do so.

Khabib corners his cousin on Wednesday before returning to Las Vegas, where he will likely make up his mind.

White said: “He leaves and goes to Vegas. So I will have the fight and fly home on Sunday and I’ll see him in Vegas.

“So those fights are gonna will have played out, he and I are gonna hook up and go to dinner in Vegas and talk again and then we’ll make a decision.”

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