Conor antics aside...

[Coup de Gracie]

...does anyone really care about the 223 main event anymore? Khabib has some buzz around him now due to the bus incident, but Al Iaquinta? He's a perfectly serviceable fighter and everything but he's had two fights in the last three years. One was against the husk of Diego Sanchez and the other he "won" via use of the old schoolyard tactic of trying to impress onlookers by acting bellicose and badass right as the fight you got the worst of is about to be stopped. Other than that Masvidal robbery his signature win is a wet-behind-ears Kevin Lee, and he has three losses against less than world-beating competition.

Is any anybody still actually excited about this fight? Khabib vs Tony would have been a barn burner but this feels kind of like expecting steak and getting fish sticks or something.

 

[bolly32]

Tbh I just wanna see Khabib call out Conor after the fight.

 

[Jesus H. Sherdog]

Anyone who pays for this event is a fool

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Went from Pumped!!! to... I could care less in two weeks. Khabib gets the win... by brutal ground and pound. But not sure about paying $65...

 

[Fstepp]

I was pumped back when it was Tony VS Khabib.

Then got disappointed.


Then got semi-stiff again when Max VS Khabib was announced.


Then got limp.


Still looking forward to Raging VS Khabib, but it's not 100 % the same feeling.

 

[Gilday]

I'm looking forward to it, but it just feels like another event. Nothing big

 

[Sleepdancer]

I kind of want to just see Khabib smash someone and then call McGregor a chicken again doing the post interview. But yeah, it’s all rather meaningless.

 

[Coup de Gracie]

Tbh I just wanna see Khabib call out Conor after the fight.

Yeah. The conspiratorial side of me wonders if that wasn't the idea all along. Conor does the bus thing as a promotional stunt to build hype for a potential match with Khabib, Khabib gets rebooked against a guy he should be comfortably expected to beat, Khabib calls out Conor afterward and sets up the money fight. We'll see.

 

[Deleted member 465145]

Khabib is always worth watching. No, the main event is not even close to panning out but it appears that the UFC is desperate to hand the LW title to Khabib since he APPEARS to be ready to defend it.

 

[laleggenda27]

I've actually very interested in this fight. I've long thought that Ragin Al has star potential and that he's criminally underrated. He's obviously not the favorite here because Khabib is a beast, but Al is a live underdog. After all, Al's biggest strength is Khabib's biggest weakness: boxing.

 

[Sonny Qc]

Tbh I just wanna see Khabib call out GSP after the fight.

Fixed

 

[itheuser]

The bus thing was a total promotional stunt by Conor that got out of hand quickly. Once the window shattered, shit got real.

I doubt the UFC encouraged it, but of course they're willing to help guide the narrative now that it happened. Ultimately, it's Conor who is in legal trouble, not the UFC.

The law of unintended consequences.

 

[notori0us1]

Khabib is so desperate to get that paper belt.


That belt means nothing now and every single fan knows how meaningless it is yet Khabib is so desperate for it. Khabib will NEVER feel like a champ until he beats Conor and Tony.

Fact.

 

[itheuser]

Let' not forget that Al is a wrestler who has pretty good BJJ too.

He's not Barboza. I would even go so far as to say that he is almost as much of a threat as Ferguson because he does have better boxing than Ferguson, but a less dedicated game off of his back, and probably comparable wrestling. If he can survive some exchanges off of his back, he's a threat.

Plus, he knows how to flip into psycho determination mode.

 

[Rouseys Pillow]

I doubt Khabib is going to call out Conor. I believe him when he says he only really cares about legacy fights. He'll ask for Toe Fungus next.

Nobody calls out Conor and gets the fight unless they are a name, like Mayweather. That's because everybody wants a red panty night; Conor knows this.
The best way to get to Conor is what Khabib did inadvertently -- which is go after his buddy, Artem. The second thing would be to take his belt, which he likely will.

Continuing to ignore Conor McGregor will further unhinge him. If he gets past Tony after AI, then the CM fight cannot be ignored.

 

[Coup de Gracie]

I doubt Khabib is going to call out Conor. I believe him when he says he only really cares about legacy fights. He'll ask for Toe Fungus next.

Nobody calls out Conor and gets the fight unless they are a name, like Mayweather. That's because everybody wants a red panty night; Conor knows this.
The best way to get to Conor is what Khabib did inadvertently -- which is go after his buddy, Artem. The second thing would be to take his belt, which he likely will.

Continuing to ignore Conor McGregor will further unhinge him. If he gets past Tony after AI, then the CM fight cannot be ignored.

Even if he gets past Tony I think he should leave that fight alone even though it would be a huge payday against a very high-profile opponent. CM Punk fights a whole weight class above Khabib and would probably just be too physical for him.