Karma has been a central theme in the UFC lightweight division over the past few weeks.
It began in 2014, when then-champion Anthony Pettis injured himself and forced on the sidelines for an extended period of time. His arch-nemesis at the time, Khabib Nurmagomedov, sent a constant slew of verbal jabs to agitate Pettis during his recovery.
Then, when Khabib reinjured his knee months later, Pettis went on the offensive, reveled in the Dagestani’s injury, and informed him on social media, “karma is a bitch.” Yet it was only days later that Pettis was also sidelined again with another injury, which brought their entire bizarre feud full circle.
The only difference this time around is the added agitation from Nate Diaz, who also took to social media to inform the two lightweights that they are “both made from glass.” Khaibib did not take kindly to the situation and informed Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he would gladly fight Diaz and Pettis on the same night.
“I can fight these guys both same night,” Nurmagomedov told Ariel Helwani said on The MMA Hour. “These guys are easy money for me.”
According to the Dagestani lightweight, he had previously requested both match-ups from the UFC but never got a response, which leads him to believe that they are only interested in fights against him when he is injured.
“Before all the time, I ask UFC, ‘Please give me Nate Diaz, please give me Anthony Pettis,'” Nurmagomedov said. “But all the time these guys scared and no give answer to UFC. These guys no want fight before with me. But now these guys talk sh*t, because I’m injured. Because I can’t fight now.”
With a five or six month stint on the sidelines ahead of him, Nurmagomedov is aware that over a year away from the cage is not an ideal situation. However, he fully expects to return to form and resume his meteoric rise up the lightweight ranks.
“When I come back, I want to finish guys,” Nurmagomedov said. “I feel how I was before, I feel how I am now. I’m more strong, I’m more hungry. Maybe one year [with] no fight for me it’s good. We’ll see when I come back to the cage. Maybe this is better for me. I don’t know.”
Transcription taken from MMAFighting.com.
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