McGregor vs. Khabib Announcement Would Be the Shot in the Arm the UFC Needs

MMA in 2018 has been dreadful, but things might be set to turn around. According to a multitude of rumors, the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov dream match is about to become a reality.

The latest came Wednesday night, when McGregor's Ireland-based lawyer, Graham Kenny, made a surprising Instagram post teasing that the fight is on. Though the image—which included a flight itinerary from Europe to Las Vegas that would land just in time for UFC 229—was quickly deleted, the screenshots were immortalized by a number of outlets.

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Conor McGregor’s Ireland based lawyer Graham Kenny says Conor vs Khalabeeb is happening in October in Vegas. pic.twitter.com/jr2Ro0H8pr

— FrontRowBrian (@FrontRowBrian) July 31, 2018"

This comes just days after a double whammy of near-confirmations from both men, with Nurmagomedov discussing the fight as an inevitability in a fan Q&A ahead of UFC on Fox 30 and McGregor telling TMZ Sports that the fight was "close" to being made. It also comes just days before a huge UFC press conference in Los Angeles that will tease the rest of its 2018 schedule. 

Though many have wondered if a McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov showdown in October might be too soon, it's hard not to feel like it's actually coming at the perfect time.

The last seven months have been an agonizing time for MMA fans, who have been disappointed at almost every turn. On the macro level, the sport has been ravaged by the absence of top stars, the declining value of UFC titles and diminished weekly programming. The micro level has been even worse, with fan confidence lowered by frequent fight cancellations and perplexing matchmaking.

Ed Mulholland/Getty Images

The hardcore audience has taken the brunt of this, soldiering through watered-down, eight-hour-long cards that seem specially designed to kill enthusiasm for the product. Casuals, meanwhile, have simply walked away.

McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov wouldn't fix everything...but it would certainly help to right the ship.

Despite existing in the ever-shifting world of MMA, this pairing has stood as a fight fan's dream match for years. Combining two of the most distinct characters in MMA—the gritty, hardened grappler and the flashy, flamboyant striker—all but guarantees an exciting build in addition to a unique contest. What's more, it stands to finally, definitively answer the question of if McGregor can handle a grappler, which has lingered since his carefully booked rise through the featherweight division.  

And of course, it isn't just the initiated audience that is intrigued by a McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov fight anymore.

After years of being played out on social media and in backstage fracas, the rivalry gained massive mainstream visibility through the infamous UFC 223 bus attack, which saw McGregor hurl a hand truck at a vehicle packed with UFC staff and fighters, including Nurmagomedov. Though the incident drew the attention of law enforcement officials, McGregor agreed to a plea deal that included no jail time and no restrictions on his travel, which ultimately turned the red-hot return contest white-hot.

This has the makings of being the biggest fight in UFC history, and it can right many of 2018's wrongs.

Granted, the contest isn't official quite yet.

McGregor and the UFC have been in a quiet but lengthy contract dispute since his blockbuster boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August 2017. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, has been making public rumblings that he's looking for a considerable raise for this fight.

The UFC has long been stingy to a fault, consistently willing to leave fans' dollars on the table to save itself a dime when it comes to paying fighters. With both sides' hands out, it would be unfortunately on brand for the promotion to leave both men in limbo for months in hopes of starving them into a company-friendly deal.

Ultimately, though, there is just too much smoke here to believe there isn't a fire.

McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov is the fight that fans need right now. It has to happen.

It just has to.