Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, revealed that the once-undefeated UFC champion is still receiving fight offers. Not only that, but Khabib is denying the opportunity to fight for enormous amounts of money against some of the greatest combat sports athletes of all time. Both Floyd Mayweather and Georges St-Pierre have contacted camp Khabib in pursuit of a money fight, to no avail.
Khabib was once the UFC’s most dominant fighter. With an undefeated 29-0 record, he held the Lightweight belt against all comers, notably dispatching Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Al Iaquinta. In 2018, he famously mauled Conor McGregor in one of the UFC’s most heated rivalries, proving to be tougher than the bus Conor attacked in the lead-up to the bout.
Khabib turned down $100 million to keep promise to his Mom
Following the death of his father and head trainer, Khabib announced after the Gaethje fight that he would retire from MMA. The reason? He promised his mother he would quit fighting.
Khabib’s humility and character were a huge part of his draw in the UFC, making him one of the promotion’s superstars across Eastern Europe and the Muslim world. Nurmagomedov’s devotion to his religion and family are well-known, so it’s no surprise to hear that that promise is holding up even in the face of the most tantalising offers.
Of course, Dana White and the UFC would love to have Khabib return to the Octagon. Dana no doubt would prefer another record-breaking money fight against Conor McGregor. However, Georges St-Pierre approached Abdelaziz, effectively offering a post-retirement bout between two of MMA’s greatest of all time.
To see such a spectacle so close to the prime of both men’s careers would be a great prospect for fight fans, particularly in the age of disappointing post-retirement fights like Tyson v Jones, Jr.
Even GSP couldn’t compare to the massive money fight that came from outside the Octagon. Floyd Mayweather, undefeated boxer, offered Khabib a staggering $100 million to fight.Khabib, of course, turned it down:
“No, I’m retired. I told my mother I’m retired. I’m going to keep my word to my mother. If my mother told me to fight again, maybe I will. But right now, she told me not to fight.”
Khabib’s response may be due to two factors. First of all, Nurmagomedov’s fight game was more focused on grappling and ground-and-pound than stand-up boxing. Khabib’s striking did not lack for power or precision, but it’s an entirely different game when you can only throw punches.
Secondly, Mayweather’s post-retirement career consists mostly of novelty bouts against the likes of McGregor and YouTubers. A fight against a middle-aged man who doesn’t fight boxers is not enough to break Khabib’s promise to his Mom.
The UFC finally confirmed Khabib’s retirement, with Charles Oliveira claiming the vacant Lightweight title, but many fans still hope to see the Russian Eagle return to the UFC.
Do you think Khabib will emerge from retirement to leave a legacy of 30-0? Will he venture, like McGregor before him, into the boxing ring? Or will Khabib remain on the sidelines, secure in his status as one of the greatest mixed martial artists to grace the Octagon?
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