Khabib Nurmagomedov believes his fierce rival Conor McGregor will never return to his very best in The Octagon.

McGregor, who was chasing a rematch with the undefeated Dagestani fighter, suffered a major setback in his bid to return to the top of the lightweight division as he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

Appearing on Magomed Ismailov’s YouTube channel, when asked if he believes that the former lightweight champion will come back stronger, Khabib said:

“Never. There is no way that a man can be at his peak for two times. “I’m not just talking about McGregor. What I mean is a man cannot have two primes.”

Khabib continued:

“A team could do it. For example, Real Madrid did it a few times in a row. Teams may have this.

“But we are talking about us. And one man, on his own, cannot have his peak form twice.”

p1ev1ui0g6bdm1oun17i94u1fbld.jpg

McGregor, who has now suffered three defeats in his last six appearances in The Octagon, is already back in training again and appears raring to go as he uploaded a gym picture on his Instagram account.

The Irishman is now chasing a trilogy bout with the Louisiana fighter in a bid to avenge his first knockout of his UFC career. 

It appears that McGregor will have the opportunity to settle the rivalry with ‘The Diamond’ later this year.

Indeed, UFC President Danna White said that the third instalment between the pair is already in the works, saying:

p1ev1ugc8fhiaenjkno1nql12t8b.jpg

“This summer it will happen. These guys are all going to fight it out, we’ll narrow it down to the two guys who will face off for the title.”

‘The Notorious’, meanwhile, added on his Instagram:

“What a trilogy I now have on my hands. Exciting! With a handle on the leg kicks I will get back to having fun in there. I was in second gear cruising this fight. Best condition I’ve ever been in.”

Khabib, however, has reportedly still shown no interest in returning to UFC after retiring from the sport last October with 29 wins and no losses with White claiming that the undefeated fighter believes that none of the current lightweights are anywhere close to his ‘level’.