Khabib Nurmagomedov riding a bear, chasing down a fleeing Conor McGregor?

Khabib Nurmagomedov riding a bear, chasing down a fleeing Conor McGregor.

While it was UFC lightweight champ McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) who grabbed the early headlines on this, the first day of 2018, undefeated challenger Nurmagomedov (25-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has responded in fine fashion.

McGregor’s current position is simple: Want a shot at the champ, come beg me for it. Nurmagomedov’s reply is perfect in angle – essentially charging McGregor with being unwilling to defend his title against a superior wrestler who has mowed down all 25 opponents he’s faced to date.

From Nurmagomedov’s point of view, if you’re a true champion, you defend your belt against all challengers and prove your worth.

McGregor is unquestionably a master of words, and his quick wit has proven a valuable tool not only in fight promotion but also in prompting his opponents to fight on high emotion, often resulting in strategic errors.

While Nurmagomedov’s command of the English language is quickly growing, his mastery of PhotoShop is already at a championship level, if this latest Tweet is any indication.

Tony Ferguson (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC), you’re up.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie‘s official blog and is edited by Mike Bohn.