“Irish only 6 million Russian 150 million. I wanna fight with your chicken because this is number one easy fight in Lightweight division.” – these words from Khabib Nurmagomedov after UFC 205 would kick off a long-standing rivalry in MMA. Ireland vs. Dagestan. Khabib vs. Conor McGregor. Now, with another high profile Ireland vs. Dagestan fight on the horizon, ‘The Eagle’ has kicked up some dust with his targeted remarks at Irish MMA, and the latter’s representative has promptly responded.

While having a conversation with ‘PFL MMA’, the former UFC lightweight champion emphasized that he doesn’t consider Irish fighters to be a threat to Dagestan’s dominance. While naming Conor McGregor and Paul Hughes, ‘Eagle’ asserted that Ireland has produced very few elite-level fighters, “Brother, Ireland don’t have fighters, brother. Let’s be honest,” said Nurmagomedov.

He further added, “Let’s be honest. How many fighters do you know from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor [McGregor], and who else? There is no fighter, brother. You come to Dagestan, you can understand… Let’s be honest, Dagestan level of MMA here [high hand gesture], but Ireland level? Not even half of Dagestan level.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s comments might be a bit harsh, considering that despite being a small nation, Ireland has produced some big names like Conor McGregor, Paul Hughes, and Ian Garry. Well, Nurmagomedov’s comments found their way to Irish fighter, Paul Hughes, who did the needful to defend his country. In the Instagram post shared by PFL, Hughes wrote, “Just wait to I get my hands on yo boy.”

At UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor clashed for lightweight supremacy. Before the fight, “The Eagle” confidently declared that Russian MMA was superior to its Irish counterpart, a statement he proved decisively when he faced McGregor in the Octagon. Years have passed since that memorable event, but Khabib Nurmagomedov’s animosity toward the Irish fighter and the rivalry between the nations endures.

Paul Hughes will fight Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov on January 25 for the Bellator lightweight belt. Undefeated Dagestani fighter will be looking to defend his title against ‘Big News’, who is coming off of an amazing victory at PFL “Battle of the Giants” after defeating AJ McKee. Their clash has been dubbed ‘Dagestan vs Ireland 2.0’ as Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov will be in the arena to support their fighters. Regardless, the debate about which country produces better fighters still stands but no one can touch Nurmagomedov’s record… or can they?

Ali Abdelaziz believes Khabib Nurmagomedov’s record will be broken

With a career record of 29 victories and 0 losses, Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the sport with an impeccable record and the lightweight title. No one has been able to touch his dominant record, but according to his manager, it can be broken, and it will be none other than his brother, Umar Nurmagomedov. While having a conversation with ‘MMAJunkie’, Abdelaziz stated, “There’s no doubt in my mind Umar will be a champion at 135 pounds, and I believe Umar is going to be a champion for a long time,” said Abdelaziz.

He further added, “I think Umar is the only guy who can really challenge Khabib’s record. He can retire undefeated, 29-0, 30-0. Of course he has a tough opponent, but I believe Umar is better everywhere. He was offered Merab in Madison Square Garden and he said yes. He was offered Merab in December and he said yes. He was offered Dec. 14, Song Yadong, he said yes. He was offered in January Song Yadong and he said yes. After that, the UFC came and said, ‘Merab, Jan. 18,’ and he said yes. He’s been saying yes to everybody. He was willing to fight ranked, not ranked. He just wanted to fight.”

Umar is 29 and 17-0 in MMA. He’ll likely hit his prime over the next 3-4 years. The Russian will need some serious activity to back up Abdelaziz’s claims. But his younger brother, Bellator LW champ Usman, is 26 and boasts the same record (17-0-1). He might actually have a better chance of raising the bar for the Nurmagomedovs than his big brother. Either way, the Russian dominance is likely to continue in mainstream MMA.

Umar Nurmagomedov is gearing up to face bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. The Dagestani fighter is preparing for the biggest battle of his career. If he emerges victorious, he will claim the bantamweight championship. But is it really that easy to get past ‘The Machine’? We’ll find out at UFC 311. Share your thoughts on Nurmagomedov’s career in the comments below!