Max Holloway sat down with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani and revealed his take on possibly fighting lightweight GOAT, Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘Blessed’ was tasked to take on Nurmagomedov on short notice, however, he couldn’t make the weight in time. Chiefly, there’s always been a certain tone of fan speculation about how ‘Blessed’ would fare against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

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‘The Eagle’ retired following a successful title defense against Justin Gaethje, wherein he won via Triangle choke. His decision to walk away came as a surprise, and fans are pining to see his return to action.

Khabib Nurmagomedov takedown on Justin Gaethje

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Also Read: ‘I Want to Prove I’m the Best Bantamweight of All Time’- TJ Dillashaw Opens Up on UFC Return

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There is a laundry list of high-profile match-ups that Khabib Nurmagomedov could take on for his 30th bout. One name in the fray will be the dominant featherweight and onetime UFC interim lightweight title challenger, Max Holloway.

Max Holloway weighs in on fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov

Helwani asked ‘Blessed’ Holloway if Khabib Nurmagomedov was a name he wanted to scrap and his answer was straightforward. Khabib certainly qualifies as a ‘Legacy’ fight that Holloway is keen to scalp under his belt.

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“Khabib is one of them for sure [to coax out of retirement]. I keep telling you guys, I want legacy fights. I want fights that will cement my name forever in this sport, even when I’m long gone, and he’s one of the guys out there for sure. He did what he did, he’s still the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world and he’s retired.”

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Khabib Nurmagomedov

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“That says a lot about the man. I would love to share the octagon, I know we were supposed to run it one time. You can call me biased but I think mine and his press conference was the best press conference the UFC ever saw in its lifetime, so I think that was great.”

It boils down to whether Khabib Nurmagomedov seriously plans on making a comeback to etch a 30th professional win. The general consensus is that he just might return if an opponent offers a serious enough challenge. Given the run that Max Holloway is on, there’s a good chance that ‘The Eagle’ will find the former featherweight champion worthy.

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Darryl Pinto

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Darryl Pinto is a senior MMA writer and editor at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Sport Business Management degree out of Humber College, Canada and has completed nearly 3 years with the organization. He has also served as the Head of Content for the MLB department. Darryl specializes in predictions, reporting, and covering UFC events live. Having competed in MMA at a collegiate level, he consciously attempts to integrate an athlete's breakdown of MMA techniques like striking, defense, and grappling into his penmanship of the sport as he seeks to give the reader a well-rounded point of view. Before becoming the lead MMA writer, Darryl has also written articles for the NFL and boxing divisions. He began watching UFC 11 years ago at UFC 117 when Chael Sonnen went to war against Anderson Silva.

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