Khabib Nurmagomedov's father has claimed that Conor McGregor was never seen as a serious threat to his son's UFC lightweight belt.
Former two-weight UFC champion McGregor has been out of the limelight having not fought since being choked out by Nurmagomedov last October - but is set to return to action next year.
Khabib, meanwhile, returned to action when he overcame Dustin Poirier last month and Tony Ferguson is now next in line to challenge the UFC lightweight champion.
McGregor last week announced he will return to UFC action in January and quickly made clear his desire to take on his long-term rival again in what would be a mouthwatering rematch.
But Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov has doubts whether his son would be willing to do that, suggesting that McGregor is unlikely to challenge him for the victory.
According to RT Sport , he said: “McGregor never seemed like a tough opponent to me. He was a showman.”
Nurmagomedov Snr was full of praise for another UFC star though, believing Brazilian bruiser Rafael dos Anjos provided the biggest test in 2014.
“My favorite fight of his is with dos Anjos,” Abdulmanap said. “I’ll explain why: Before the dos Anjos fight, we trained for three months in the mountains. We put in the most work of our lives in those mountains. Khabib was ready as ever.
“I tell him: ‘Khabib, if you win, I’ll be making conclusions for you and myself.’ He says: ‘What conclusions?’ I tell him: ‘He’s a real championship contender.’ He says: ‘Let him go through me, then he’ll be champion.'
“He (Khabib) was then out of action for two years. He had four surgeries, then a broken rib. He didn’t perform for more than two years.
“Dos Anjos became champion, then later Khabib became champion. It turned out it was a fight between two champions, and Khabib had full advantage. They were in their prime.
“After dos Anjos lost his belt, Khabib went from fourth to second place in the rankings. He didn’t even fight for two years. Dos Anjos dominated everyone he fought against and became champion. That’s why I think it’s his best fight.”
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