Islam Makhachev Archives

With the UFC having three events in the span of a week, Jon Anik will be a busy man However he took time to give his thoughts on if Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight again, and who Nate Diaz might fight in his return. Like most fans of MMA, Anik wants to see Khabib fight again. Nobody liked the idea of the undefeated lightweight champion hanging it up after going 29-0, and while still in the prime of his career. In fact, Dana White is doing his best to get Khabib to fight again. The two even had a highly anticipated meeting on Fight Island, as the UFC prepares to have the first fight card of the year. https://twitter.com/danawhite/status/1350105488260689920?s20 Jon Anik Says There Is Only One Way Khabib Fights Again As much as fans are wanting to see Khabib Nurmagomedov not retire, Jon Anik is not confident in Dana White's skills of persuasion. Speaking in a recent interview, the UFC commentator said that he does not think Khabib will fight again soon. However Jon went a step further than that. He said that the only way Khabib would compete again, would be to avenge a future loss against his protege, Islam Makhachev. "If any man can convince any other man in this world to do anything, it is probably my boss, UFC President Dana White," Anik said. "That being said, it is all about his competitive desire, and I don't believe Khabib has that itch right now, to compete. Here's the one thing that I've been throwing out there. Islam Makhachev is the equalizer in all of this. "If one of these UFC lightweights can beat Islam Makhachev, who Khabib and Eagles MMA believe is going to be the next UFC lightweight champion, if Drew Dober or one of these guys can beat Islam, then I think Khabib would probably want to fight that guy. "I don't think Khabib can scratch that competitive itch by coaching or doing a grappling competition. So I do think eventually we will see him back, but in the next twelve months I don't think you're going to see him." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jon Anik (@jon_anik) Nate Diaz vs Dan Hooker Recently Dana White revealed that he was working on a lightweight return for Nate Diaz. Of course, this is something that is of interest to Jon Anik, and he is curious to see who Nate will fight. If he had it his way, after Dan Hooker fights Michael Chandler at UFC 257, Jon would like to see the Hangman fight Stockton's favorite little brother. "As long as Nate's in there, I don't really care who he faces. I think there are a lot of appetizing matchups for him," Anik said. "Again though, I would like to see us get some clarity (after UFC 257), because Nate Diaz wants to give the most deserving guys the opportunity. "Guys like Jorge Masvidal who have carried themselves a certain way in their career, that's who Nate and Nick want to give the opportunity to get that payday that comes with fighting a Diaz brother. "I think Dan Hooker fits that mold, and if you've seen what he's been saying all week, he certainly has an appetite for that fight. I'm intrigued by Diaz Hooker, but obviously Dan has some business to attend to here, first." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v9VVDvyim_qg What do you think of these assessments from Jon Anik, regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz?