Conor McGregor's remarkable rise in the UFC has been characterised by a willingness to embrace any challenge thrown his way.
He has taken four short-notice opponent changes in his time in the organisation - after Andy Ogle, Cole Miller, José Aldo and Rafael Dos Anjos all pulled out of their original bouts with the Dubliner and he never batted an eye-lid.
He gladly accepted Max Holloway, Diego Brandao, Chad Mendes and Nate Diaz as replacements and he should be duly commended, in particular, for saving the UFC 189 and UFC 196 cards by taking on his rescheduled opponents in the main event slots.
His loss to Nate Diaz at the latter further showed the true mark of the competitor in McGregor. Despite moving with to 170 lbs to face Diaz, he dominated the first round only to gas out completely in the second and fall to submission by rear-naked choke.
He faced the media later that night, pointed out his shortcomings and vowed to even the score in his next bout.
A dispute with the UFC led to a brief retirement and being pulled from the main event at the marquee UFC 200 event - only for the UFC to relent and his media requirements to be restricted in the lead up to the rematch with Diaz at UFC 202.
When the fight was originally announced, UFC President Dana White described how McGregor was "obsessed with fighting Nate Diaz again" - and this was before he had become the first man to hold two titles in different weight classes simultaneously.
Gaining revenge over Nate Diaz was more important than, what is now his signature accomplishment in MMA, holding two title belts in the UFC at once.
The Irishman recently released a detailed breakdown of his one-sided submission loss to Nurmagomedov where he highlighted his errors, particularly getting clipped with an over-hand right in the second, which he should have seen coming the moment the Russian let fly.
"Another stocky wrestler with an over-hand" is how he once described Chad Mendes - so it's a shot he knows how to react to, only too well.
That punch aside, Nurmagomedov still dominated the encounter. He may have lost the third round by a slim margin but you get the sense he was letting the last of what McGregor had in the tank seep away before finishing the Dubliner in the fourth.
Of course, we didn't get to see a post-fight interview because of the near-riot which ensued in the aftermath of the bout.
However, McGregor's willingness to to chase Diaz for an immediate rematch is in stark contrast to his appetite to take on the new king at lightweight - the "If it is not the rematch right away, no problem. I'll face the next in line" comment from his Instagram post sticks out.
The next in line, Tony Ferguson, will most likely face Khabib next. The Irishman may have to settle for the rubber match against Diaz instead. Make no mistake - that will be fun from the moment it's announced but the attitude which got him to the pinnacle of the sport and had him in the conversation, rightly or wrongly, as the 'Greatest of all Time' - would have him fight Nurmagomedov in a rematch immediately.
We're still awaiting the results of the Nevada Commissions investigation into what happened in the aftermath of their first bout so neither fighter is booked for another fight yet.
Regardless, McGregor should pursue the rematch immediately. That attitude got him to the pinnacle of the sport and he will need it again if he is to overcome his biggest challenge yet in MMA.
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