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What's the story?
UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has told sources that the Dagestani fighter wants to, and will leave the UFC soon. This predicament came by for Dana White and the UFC when Ali said that proceedings for a fight against Floyd are now a top priority for Khabib and camp.
In case you didn't know...
Current defending and undisputed lightweight champion of the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov, last competed in the Octagon in what was amongst one of UFC's biggest pay-per-view event. Soon after dominating Conor McGregor and eventually submitting him to a neck crank in round number four, Khabib went on to cement his name in the history books as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history.
Following this win for Khabib, there has been much talk surrounding a possible boxing match against the pound-for-pound greatest boxer of all time, Floyd Mayweather. Khabib was seen at a boxing event alongside Mayweather Promotions CEO, Leonard Ellerbe, where Khabib went on to call the boxer out for a 12-round dance in the ring. Mayweather was quick to respond and agreed to face Khabib if the money was right, but of course, under specific boxing rules.
The heart of the matter
During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, president of the UFC Dana White asked Floyd Mayweather to come to fight in the UFC, if he, in fact, wanted a fight against Khabib. Soon after the McGregor fight, it was confirmed that Khabib was still under a single fight contract with the UFC. But with that being said, Ali Abdelaziz said that Khabib is waiting on leaving the UFC, so he can fight Floyd Mayweather, as a free agent.
“Khabib will respect Dana's wishes while he's under contract, but, once his deal is up, we are willing to contact Floyd directly and hash out a deal for a 2019 fight date."
Floyd Mayweather also seems very keen on a fight against Khabib. Although he may be pushing back or delaying the match-making process, he definitely sees a 9-figure pay-day potential in the fight.
"They came to me talking about the Khabib fight, Khabib called me out, I didn’t call Khabib out. They said it has to happen in the Octagon and I said, ‘You just tell me where Khabib has made nine figures before in the Octagon. If he hasn’t made nine figures, he’s not the A side. I’m the A side, so if you guys want the fight to happen, you must come my way. My way, my rules."
What's next?
Ali Abdelaziz is being seemingly confident about Khabib Nurmagomedov's stake in the world of combat sports. Will we see "The Eagle" leave the Octagon in exchange for a smaller ring and a bigger paycheck?
Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!
