Esther Lin, MMA Fighting UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t completely opposed to the idea of a rematch with Conor McGregor. But if it ever happens, it’s going to be on his terms. Nurmagomedov on Monday said if McGregor is able to defeat Dustin Poirier in a rematch on Jan. 23, he believes another fight with the Irish star is a possibility. But it depends on the weight class McGregor chooses. “If he beats [Poirier] at 155 [pounds], it makes sense, but if they fight at 170, how can you fight at 170 and next fight you can fight at 155? They want to make everything easy,” the UFC lightweight champ said on the Real Quick With Mike Swick Podcast. “It you want to take the easy way, you never deserve the next title shot.” Nurmagomedov, 32, is five days away from his third attempted title defense against interim champ Justin Gaethje, a matchup many insiders expect to be his most difficult. He is around a -300 favorite to win the fight, which takes place Saturday on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Right now, the rematch between McGregor and Poirier is still not a sure thing. After trying to set up a charity MMA fight, both fighters have agreed on social media to meet in the octagon, but UFC President Dana White said contracts have not been signed. After giving the thumbs up, Poirier asked McGregor about the weight class; McGregor most recently competed in the octagon as a welterweight when he stopped Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. McGregor also called to promote his rematch with Poirier at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, an idea White shot down early. Negotiations between the former two-division champ and his promoter have rarely been easy. McGregor called out White for not putting him back to work earlier this year and released text messages he said were proof of the UFC’s “borderline criminal” inability to keep him active. White, in turn, has blasted McGregor for going public and retaliated by nixing a coaching spot opposite Nurmagomedov on The Ultimate Fighter 29. The UFC lightweight champ reportedly balked at doing the reality show with McGregor, which would have served as a lead-in to a rematch. His team, meanwhile, have been quick to dismiss the possibility of a second fight. His longtime manager, Ali Abdelaziz, said the only chance of the two fighting again would be in the streets. Abdelaziz was a frequent target of McGregor prior to the Irish star’s blockbuster meeting with Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, which ended in an infamous brawl that suspended the rivals and several of their teammates. On Monday, Nurmagomedov’s longtime teammate, former two-division champ and UFC commentator Daniel Cormier said on ESPN, “before, I thought, sure, say you don’t want to fight him, but then go beat the guy. I think you should, because you already won, you make a ton of money, it makes sense. But I just don’t know if he’s going to do it. He wants to focus on Justin Gaethje, and it’s just a lot.” Nurmagomedov has also mused about retirement after achieving a 30-0 record, but he’s also entertained “something special” promised by the UFC in the future. That could be a meeting with former welterweight and middleweight champ and UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre, who has proposed a catchweight showdown. Before he can entertain any plans, the Dagestan-born champ must first get past Gaethje. If McGregor is to get another shot at him, he said, his rival must not take any shortcuts. “Remember, before I fought him, I told him, ‘I’m going to make you humble, and I’m going to put you in line,’” Nurmagomedov said. “Now, after two years, people understand my word. I’m going to put him in line, and I’m going to make the decision. If he fights 170, bye-bye.” Check out Nurmagomedov’s full interview below:

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports Former WWE champ and current AEW wrestler Jake Hager will return to the Bellator cage next week. Hager faces Brandon Calton at Bellator 250, which takes place Oct. 29 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The event airs live on CBS Sports Network. Calton, a former super heavyweight, makes his promotional debut after a pair of stoppage wins on the regional circuit. As an amateur, he was 5-0 with two recorded knockouts. Standing across from him at equal height – both men are 6-5 according to Tapology.com – is Hager, who made his third appearance in the Bellator cage this past October at Bellator 231. The part-time pro wrestler aimed for a trio of wins, but was forced to settle for a no-contest after an inadvertent groin strike left his opponent Anthony Garrett unable to continue. In his previous two Bellator bouts, Hager put his opponents away with the same choke – an arm-triangle – in nearly equal time. Known to pro-wrestling fans as Jack Swagger and his “we the people” catchphrase in the WWE, where he won a pair of titles, Hager chose to redirect his efforts toward a dual career on the mat and in the cage. Before his fight against Garrett, he spoke to MMA Fighting about the challenge of pursuing both. “This is a very big chunk I’ve bit off and it’s big enough to scare me,” he said. “I wanted to prove to everybody who Jake Hager is. Now that the [AEW] debut has gone well, yeah, there’s more pressure on me not only to win, but to make a statement. This is where I rely on my background. This is where having been to the NCAA Division I championships and wrestling [in WWE] before 80,000 people helps out. It’s scary. I’ve got a lot on my plate, but I can handle it. Dealing with pressure is a good thing. It’ll make you work harder and make you focus even more.”

ABU DHABI — After his UFC Fight Island 6 win, James Krause breaks down his performance, what’s next, his response to Joaquin Buckley, and much more.

In the first episode of UFC 254 Embedded, cameras check in fighters preparing in quarantine before a flight to Abu Dhabi. Justin Gaethje, Jared Cannonier, Walt Harris and Lauren Murphy are among those who get in some extra work on the blacktop outside the hotel before piling on the plan to Fight Island. Check out the full video above.

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting Calvin Kattar has two big wins in 2020 and is waiting for his phone to ring once again. “The Boston Finisher” picked up a second-round finish of Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249, along with a main event unanimous decision win over Dan Ige in July, as he currently sits at No. 6 in the promotion’s 145-pound rankings. After Brian Ortega defeated The Korean Zombie in Saturday night’s UFC Fight Island 6 headliner, Kattar joined MMA Fighting’s post-fight show to discuss the landscape of featherweight division and was asked about some popular fantasy matchmaking between he and former longtime champion Max Holloway. “It seems to make sense,” Kattar said. “Everyone else is busy, so it would be two game guys trying to stay busy. I’m with it, man. I’m not training this hard for nothing.” Whether it’s Holloway, or anyone in the top-five, Kattar doesn’t care who stands across the octagon from him. He wants to put pen to paper on a big fight before the calendar turns to 2021—and hopes to do it alongside his teammate and fellow New England Cartel member. “Sign one of these guys up,” Kattar said. “My goal is to go 3-0 this year and the year’s not done yet. I’ll be ready whenever they come calling. “December sounds good, but I’d like to get on a card with my teammate Rob Font. He’s overdue coming off a big win over Simon. Everyone’s talking about these bantamweights but they’re all forgetting about Rob Font.” The 32-year-old Massachusetts native admits he was impressed with Ortega’s win this past weekend and feels that if that same version shows up to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the title that it could be a very competitive matchup. No matter how the dominos fall, Kattar just wants to see the division continue to move forward. “Honestly, I don’t really give a sh*t,” Kattar stated. “I just want to fight somebody. “I don’t care where the division goes, I just hope it keeps shuffling around. I’ll fight all of these guys (ahead of me). Line them all up. Let’s get something going. If the champ wants Ortega, cool, let’s make it happen. The featherweight division should stand out above the rest so let’s make these big fights happen.” Following his win over Ige, Kattar told MMA Fighting he is confident he would give Volkanovski fits whether they fought now, next year, or whenever that fight would take place. Being active has put himself in an interesting spot in division that continues to slowly get deeper and deeper. Kattar is keeping things simple: he wants respect, another fight in 2020, and with a victory, wants the winner of the assumed Volkanovski vs. Ortega title fight. “I’m coming for all of them and when [the UFC] shows those rankings, they need to show one through six, not just the [top-five]. I need to get some TV love, include my ass in there. “Seriously, though, I’m coming for that belt. Next is Ortega, then it’s me to get that opportunity. Line them up.”