‘A man cannot have two primes’ – Khabib says Conor McGregor will ‘never’ bounce back

In a span of eight years, Conor McGregor went from being a knockout artist on the fast track to global superstardom, to losing two of his last three fights. His last outing at UFC 257 last month against Dustin Poirier ended in a second-round knockout loss, a first in his career.

“The Notorious” already promised to come back strong from the loss as the UFC prepares for a trilogy bout with “The Diamond” in May. But for Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 32-year-old Irishman may never bounce back again.

“Never. There is no way that a man can be at the peak for two times,” Khabib said in a recent sitdown with ACA light heavyweight Magomed Ismailov.

“The Eagle” later clarified his statement, saying it’s par for the course for any top-level competitor to eventually be past their prime.

“I’m not talking about him. What I mean is, a man cannot have two primes,” he said. “A team could do it. For example, Real Madrid did this a few times in a row. Teams may have this. But we’re talking about us, and one man on his own cannot have this.”

In the same interview, Khabib also stated that would-be rival Tony Ferguson was never an “elite lightweight.”