McGregor and Khabib are ready for UFC 229

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) two-division winner Conor McGregor will fight current lightweight (146 to 155 lb) belt owner Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 229 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the US on October 6, 2018.

In the press conference held on Thursday, McGregor kept the trash talk, but the Eagle kept quiet for most of the time, heating McGregor's flame.

"If he thinks he is a man, he should ask his friend why he's late." That was the only jab made during the conference from Khabib about McGregor's bus attacking case.

(L-R) UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC President Dana White and former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 press conference at Radio City Music Hall in New York, September 20, 2018 /VCG Photo

The last time that McGregor stepped into the octagon was on November 12, 2016, where he grabbed the then lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez's belt at 3:04 by TKO in the second round of the five-round bout, and became the UFC history's first featherweight and lightweight champion.

In 2017, McGregor just did one fight -- a 12-rounder boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on August 26, and was defeated by the undefeated professional boxer at 1:05 in the 10th round.

This much-anticipated fight officially gave the Irish challenger 30 million US dollars' payment and actually added more advertising income for him.

Conor McGregor (R) and Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L) during their super welterweight boxing match at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA, August 26, 2017 /VCG Photo

McGregor's MMA return was mainly the consequence of being arrested for the aforementioned bus attacking action which occurred on April 5, 2018, where he broke the glass of a bus which was carrying UFC 223 fighters in New York City.

During the incident, McGregor intended to get even with Khabib Nurmagomedov, who pushed around another Russian fighter Artem Lobov, McGregor's training partner and close friend one day before.

That was not the only offensive behavior that McGregor had made after the Mayweather match, but the two fighters' injury caused by him gave his inflated heart a heavy punch. And due to that, he had to go back to the octagon to maintain his champion's reputation, and his rival was supposed to be Khabib Nurmagomedov, the current UFC lightweight champion.

MMA fighter Conor McGregor was led out of the 78th police precinct after charges were laid against him following a late night melee in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, April 6, 2018. /VCG Photo

Both born in 1988, Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia and Conor McGregor of Ireland have similar achievements in the MMA arena. They both started their professional MMA careers in 2008, and respectively entered the UFC in 2012 and 2013.

The Russian has a perfect all-win result for 26 MMA matches he has attended, including eight knockouts, eight submissions and ten decisions, while the Irish fighter's results are 21-3-0, and 18 of his wins were knockouts.

The recent match that Khbib has made was UFC 223, where he bagged the vacant title of lightweight champion by an unanimous decision against substitute Al Iaquinta after a full five-round combat.

(L-R) Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia punches Al Iaquinta in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 223 event inside Barclays Center on April 7, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York. /VCG Photo

Generally speaking, Khabib's advantage is on the ground and McGregor's attack in standing position is speedier and more efficient. If McGregor could avoid being dragged to the ground, his success rate is higher than Khabib's, if not, his fate may be changed by the unbeaten fighter in the Octagon.

(Top image: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor gaze at each other in the UFC 229 press conference at Radio City Music Hall in New York, September 20, 2018 /VCG Photo)