After dominant UFC 219 win, Khabib Nurmagomedov even less likely to fight Conor McGregor

LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor has a lot of options right now, as tends to be the case for people with around $100 million sitting snugly in the bank.

The noisy Irishman can lay on yachts and collect sports cars, splurge on mink coats and sip champagne in private jets — all things he likes to do — for a good while yet before the fund supply dries up.

He can also procrastinate and tease the MMA audience about an impending return while tweaking UFC president Dana White over various financial stipulations, another popular pastime he has acquired while rising to prominence over the past couple years.

He could fight Manny Pacquiao, to follow his boxing adventure against Floyd Mayweather in August. He fared better than most expected, possibly through his own skill or perhaps because Mayweather carried him somewhat in order to produce a better show.

And the final option, which would undoubtedly be the best for supporters of mixed martial arts, just got a whole lot less appealing for him after UFC 219 on Saturday night.

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If McGregor opted to go into battle against Khabib Nurmagomedov, it would be a combat sports bonanza of epic proportions. Nurmagomedov was superb in mauling Edson Barboza in Saturday’s main undercard fight, winning each of the three rounds by a distance and further establishing himself as a ferocious lightweight who, whisper it now, might be the best the division has to offer.

We may never find out, mainly because McGregor has a smart mind to match his smart mouth. Nurmagomedov is good enough to be his kryptonite, and the potential reward is likely not worth the risk involved.

If McGregor was to take on Nate Diaz in a trilogy bout, it would make him far more money due to Diaz’s crossover appeal and ability to secure big pay-per-view numbers. And while Diaz won their first fight, he must look like a far more attractive proposition than Nurmagomedov, the bruising, all-action Russian whose wrestling skills and ground game are beyond compare.

McGregor does hold the lightweight belt, but even then he has the perfect excuse. Tony Ferguson is the interim champion, having ascended to that status when Nurmagomedov pulled out of their scheduled fight earlier this year due to weight cutting issues. If McGregor takes on Ferguson sometime over the next few months, possibly at UFC 222 in Las Vegas in March, he could justifiably argue he is tackling the next man in line.

A few months back, White revealed McGregor had spoken to him about the prospect of taking on Nurmagomedov in Moscow, in what would be a much-anticipated first foray into Russia for the company. In all probability, it was bluster.

The McGregor situation is a sore point for Nurmagomedov and his team. At a recent media engagement in Los Angeles, the fighter’s manager Ali Abdelaziz erupted angrily when USA TODAY Sports posed a question to his man on the topic.

"(Expletive) Conor McGregor," Abdelaziz interrupted before later apologizing.

The feeling in their group is that McGregor is not a true champion at lightweight, having only fought in the division one time, the night in November last year when he defeated Eddie Alvarez to take the belt.

"Tony Ferguson has the real belt," Nurmagomedov said. "Conor is a good fighter, but he is not the real champ. I think a lot of people can beat him at 155 pounds. He has good boxing, good timing, but doesn’t have wrestling, grappling.

"The UFC wanted this, that he came to lightweight and fought one time and is champion. This is a little bit crazy I think."

Nurmagomedov is a master of his craft and he is dedicated to it. Hours before his cruise past Barboza, his second child, a boy, was born in Dagestan. For the past several months, he has been away from home, training in San Jose, Calif. For now, at least, he says he is focused on things other than McGregor, but don’t be so sure.

"When Conor was going to become a father, everyone knows about it," he added. "I like to keep things private. It is my way."

Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter @RogersJourno.