Khabib Nurmagomedov Calls for November Showdown with GSP at Madison Square Garden

Khabib Nurmagomedov just threw his name into the superfight sweepstakes.

Following a lopsided five-round verdict over Al Iaquinta in the UFC 223 headliner that earned him the lightweight crown, Nurmagomedov called out one of the sport’s greatest champions in his post-fight interview.

“My team has made me the best in the world. There is not another team like us in the world. I keep trying to learn from them and be better,” Nurmagomedov said. “It’s like Georges St. Pierre said, ‘Even when you are a black belt, you have to think like a white belt.’”

“And now, I want to fight Georges St-Pierre in November at Madison Square Garden.”

While the promotion has not officially announced the event, it would fall in line with the past two years, when the UFC held pay-per-views in New York in November. In fact, St. Pierre last appeared at MSG at UFC 217, where he claimed middleweight gold with a third-round submission of Michael Bisping.

“If they ask me, I want to take Georges St. Pierre,” Nurmagomedov said on Fox Sports 1. “St. Pierre is the greatest athlete to ever compete in the UFC. I am a big fan of his.”

Nurmagomedov said he remembers watching St. Pierre’s run as welterweight champion as a kid. “Rush” was always someone he admired.

“Can you imagine this? He’s here and now we can fight,” he said. “Why not? If you can make it, let’s go to New York.”

Of course, given the tumultuous nature of the week, a potential showdown with Conor McGregor, who has presumably been stripped of the lightweight belt, looms large. McGregor faces multiple charges for attacking a charter bus carrying UFC fighters — including Nurmagomedov — at the Barclays Center on Thursday. It is unclear if and when McGregor will return to the UFC.

In closing, Nurmagomedov praised Iaquinta for stepping up at the last minute after previous opponents Tony Ferguson and Max Holloway fell through. Not surprisingly, McGregor didn’t get the same respect.

“I want to say thank you to Iaquinta for stepping up and fighting. He is a real Brooklyn gangster,” Nurmagomedov said. “This is not about chicken. Where’s Conor? He wants to fight with bus. I want to fight with real gangster.”