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Khabib Nurmagomedov.
- Conor McGregor is one of the most famous names in combat sports but enters his comeback bout as the underdog.
- This is because he is up against unbeaten wrestler Khabib Nurmagomedov.
- One prominent fighter believes Nurmagomedov "will kill" McGregor at the highly-anticipated UFC 229 event in Las Vegas.
- And he is not alone as other fighters also tip Nurmegomedov to succeed when the pair trade blows in October.
Conor McGregor may have been the first same-time double champion to ever grace UFC, but after two years away he returns to the sport as the slight underdog against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In fact, three fighters are already tipping Nurmagomedov to comfortably handle McGregor - with a former UFC heavyweight champion even going as far as to say Nurmagomedov "will kill" McGregor.
McGregor has not fought in a UFC octagon since his 2016 knockout victory over Eddie Alvarez, a win that saw him add the UFC lightweight championship to his honour roll.
Since then, he started a family with his partner Dee Devlin, made his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather in a 10th round loss in 2017, and has been sentenced to five days of community service and sent to anger management classes for storming a UFC press conference in April. McGregor was recorded on video attacking a bus carrying athletes, and smashed a window in an attack that left two fighters requiring hospital treatment.
But he is now cleared to fight, will compete at the highly-anticipated UFC 229 event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 6, and will take on the unbeaten and seemingly unstoppable wrestler Khabib Nurmagomedov - the fighter McGregor was apparently looking for on the UFC team bus earlier this year.
According to three prominent fighters, it is a fight McGregor will lose. This is because Nurmagomedov "will kill" McGregor in the octagon.
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The last time Conor McGregor lost a UFC fight was at UFC 196, against Nate Diaz on March 5, 2016.
"I think Khabib [will beat McGregor]," the former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum told TMZ Sports on Tuesday. "I think Khabib will kill Conor McGregor, for sure. I saw Khabib, he trains a lot and he's a very tough guy."
Lightweight contender Dustin Poirier, who lost to McGregor in a featherweight fight four years ago, is also siding with Nurmagomedov. "I'm kinda leaning toward Khabib," Poirier said earlier this week on The MMA Hour. "I'm thinking he's going to get the victory," Poirier added, noting Nurmagomedov's wrestling nous and physicality.
The former two-weight UFC champion Georges St. Pierre also tips Nurmagomedov for success. "If I had to put my house on it, I would have to say Khabib. [He has] never lost, Conor has lost before and lost on the ground. That's where Khabib is the most competent."
The fight will be Nurmagomedov's first defence of the title he won for beating Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 in April, a belt that had previously belonged to McGregor but one he had been stripped of because of inactivity.
The bout is approximately six weeks away but has already been dubbed the "biggest fight in UFC history."