Khabib Nurmagomedov had to make one final demand to Dana White after the UFC’s desperate plans for Conor McGregor left him without a title shot

Khabib Nurmagomedov surprised the world of mixed martial arts when he went on an undefeated streak and claimed victories over the strongest lightweights during his reign. However, his legacy hit obstacles when his name wasn’t big enough for the MMA promotion. He was ruled out of the fight with Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight championship title. Instead Conor McGregor got the chance to fight for a second belt at the same time.

A video of Nurmagomedov’s 2021 interview with Stephen Olexy has now resurfaced on YouTube and is making the rounds online. In it, the undefeated UFC legend revealed the tricks that Dana White played with the title recordings.

Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals the dark truth about Dana White’s game plan

In the resurfaced YouTube video, Nurmagomedov was interviewed by Stephen Olexy on his talk show, Inspire Me Podcast. And how can a conversation with Nurmagomedov be complete without discussing the opportunity he lost to Alvarez? The podcast host brought up the moment when Alvarez faced McGregor at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden, despite Nurmagomedov having signed a contract to fight for the lightweight championship belt.

The former UFC lightweight champion revealed that the UFC had sent him two separate contracts, one for MSG and one for Montreal. Of course, the Dagestani wanted to fight Alvarez for the belt. However, things went wrong for “The Eagle”. He remembered“They’re pushing Eddie Alvarez to sign a contract because they sent me and said, ‘Hey, you’re going to fight Conor under our rules, or you want to fight Khabib, however you want.’ And he was watching and he was like, ‘Oh, Khabib, he’s a tough opponent,’ you know. And I didn’t have a big name back then, and then he signed a contract with Conor, you know.”

It was then that Nurmagomedov found out what the real factor was that could get him title fights and big PPV numbers in the UFC. It was nothing more than a big name. He continued“But I understand this time of this game, you know. When you’re a big name, you can fight for the title, pay-per-view, anything. And I’m just saying, I remember sending Dana a message: ‘Hey, it doesn’t matter. This year or next year, I know I’m going to fight for the title because I believe in myself. But just give me somebody I want to fight on the same card.’ He goes, ‘Okay, we’ll give you.'”

So he found his place in the preliminary card for UFC 205 against Michael Johnson. In fact, it was Nurmagomedov who emerged victorious with a phenomenal display of grappling dominance, ending with a kimura that forced his opponent to submit. Soon Nurmagomedov became popular and won the championship belt. Now we turn our attention to the Dagestani’s title defense.

“The Eagle’s reign as lightweight champion

Although he lost his title fight at UFC 205, Nurmagomedov did not give up his pursuit of the title. In 2017, his dream of becoming UFC champion came true. He defeated Al Laquinta by unanimous decision. He then took revenge on “Mystic Mac” for stealing his title shot against Alvarez and for all the unpleasantness that was exchanged during the build-up to the fight. It was indeed one of the most heated rivalries the UFC had ever seen. But “The Eagle” continued his winning streak and defended his title by defeating McGregor in the 4th round by rear naked choke.

Nurmagomedov’s second title defense was against Dustin Poirier. And once again he executed a phenomenal rear naked choke and won by submission. In 2020, Nurmagomedov defended his title for the last time when he defeated Justin Gaethje by triangle choke. That was the moment when Nurmagomedov became a fighter with the most title defenses in the UFC lightweight division. Quite an achievement, don’t you think?

What do you think about the games the MMA promotion is playing with title fights? Let us know what you think in the comments below.