Rare footage of Khabib Nurmagomedov reacting to Conor McGregor’s record-breaking knockout of Jose Aldo has emerged prior to the return of ‘The Notorious’.
McGregor will end his self-imposed exile from the octagon on January 18 at UFC 246 as he takes on Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Despite only packing on five pounds worth of muscle for the welterweight clash, fans are hoping to see an explosive performance from a fighter who reportedly looks back to his best.
Back in 2015, McGregor shocked the world by becoming the undisputed featherweight champion as he stopped the legendary Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds at UFC 194.
It was a moment which propelled ‘Mystic Mac’ into unheralded realms of superstardom and allowed him to transcend the world of MMA.
And before his comeback against ‘Cowboy’, BT Sport have delved into their UFC archives to find footage from that historic night in Sin City which shows how Khabib reacted to the stunning victory.
Conor McGregor works out at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas
Stood alongside manager Ali Abdelaziz and fellow Dominance MMA client Frankie Edgar, the Russian can be seen shaking his head in disbelief and even scratching his head.
The Irishman last entertained fans back in October 2018 when he took on bitter rival Nurmagomedov in an attempt to claim the lightweight belt.
The pair were once close, even offering to help spar one another, before their rivalry developed into a bitter hatred.
Although the fight with Cerrone is taking place at 170lbs, McGregor has insisted he wants that rematch back and is even targeting a second fight with the 28-0 champion at the back end of 2020.
