With 8 simple words, Islam Makhachev raises hopes for Conor McGregor’s super-fight.

With eight simple words, Islam Makhachev has aroused hopes that he would one day face UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a megafight. “People have to be stupid to say no” to a McGregor fight, he stated on May 16’s “Pound 4 Pound” podcast. He went on, “Of course, I will fight with him.” First, Makhachev must prepare for his UFC 302 headliner against Dustin Poirier on June 1 at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, where he will defend his UFC championship as a lightweight. McGregor, for his part, will return to the Octagon on June 29 to face Michael Chandler in a welterweight match. This will be McGregor’s first fight in over three years.

Given McGregor’s absence from the cage, as well as his so-so MMA record of one win and three losses in his last four fights, it appears that he is a long way from facing someone like Makhachev, who is on a 13-fight winning streak with recent victories over Charles Oliveira and Alexander Volkanovski. However, there is a backdrop to McGregor and Makhachev due to Islam’s relationship with Conor’s long-time opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov. And the mystique, paired with McGregor’s ability to generate attention at the box office, could compensate for a lack of substance. Makhachev said there are two things holding McGregor back. Makhachev praised McGregor for how he prepared for his superfight with Nurmagomedov in 2018.