There won't be an extravagant global press tour for Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov - like there was when McGregor challenged Floyd Mawyeather last summer - but the UFC has scheduled a press conference ahead of UFC 229 which should help build even more anticipation for the championship bout.
The UFC announced today that a pre-fight press conference featuring both fighters is scheduled to take place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Thursday, September 20 at 5pm ET. The Lightweight title fight will take place on October 6.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1039936002809163776
McGregor first laid the groundwork for his fight against Nurmagomedov back in April when he attacked a bus full of UFC fighters, including the Lightweight champ, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The 30-year old Irish superstar recently plead guilty to a single violation of disorderly conduct as part of a plea deal that included five days of community service and three days of an anger management program.
McGregor (21-3) made his professional boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather last August but he has not fought in the UFC since November 2016, when he defeated Eddie Alvarez at Madison Square Garden. Nurmagomedov (26-0) won the Lightweight belt in Brooklyn on April 7 by defeating Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision, after McGregor was stripped of it for inactivity.
ESPN's Brett Okamoto writes, "Nurmagomedov has replaced McGregor as the most dominant force in the division, and is the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter in the world according to ESPN. Stylistically, he is a dominant wrestler, compared to McGregor's reputation as a devastating striker."
On October 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, McGregor will look to reclaim the 155-pound championship he was forced to relinquish months ago.
