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What's the story?
The Conor-Khabib fiasco has left fans around the world, stunned, and begging for more updates. Talks about a possible rematch were hovering in the air until Alex Nurmagomedov, Khabib's Ukrainian uncle, revealed that the Dagestani is no longer interested in fighting Conor McGregor despite being offered a ludicrous amount of money to do so.
These allegations by Khabib's uncle were, however, denied by the president of the UFC, Dana White.
In case you didn't know...
Khabib Nurmagomedov instilled a sense of mental dominance over Conor McGregor before beating him in round 4 of the main event at UFC 229. The post-fight antics by Khabib eventually became the talk of the town, and to add insult to injury, the Nevada State Athletic Commission went on to hold back Khabib's $2 million paycheck.
After the defeat, Conor was quick to tweet about the fight and also challenged Khabib to dance with him in the Octagon, one more time. Conor McGregor's head coach, John Kavanagh mentioned in a recent interview on the Joe Rogan Experience, that Conor was, in fact, keen on returning to the Octagon and fight Khabib for the second time.
The heart of the matter
Khabib Nurmagomedov's uncle, Alex Nurmagomedov, told sources that there was a $15 million offer on the table for the rematch against Conor. He also mentioned that Khabib seems devoid of the interest to fight Conor, and instead, wants to fight "El Cucuy", Tony Ferguson next. In an interview by Russian website Sport Express via (MMA Junkie) this is what he had to say about the rematch between Conor and Khabib:
"From the start, they offered him $15 million if he agrees, but Khabib said no. Let Conor stand in line, let him fight with others. Khabib wants to fight Ferguson, and then finish his career."
These statements and speculations were rendered unofficial by Dana White as he confirmed via an Instagram post that this was indeed not the case.
Here is a look at Dana White's Instagram update:
Khabib's threat to quit the UFC over the grounds of the organization firing his teammate, Zubaira Tukhugov, has brought other fighting avenues, such as Bellator and Fight Night, knocking on the Dagestani's door.
Although these prospects may seem interesting on paper, fight fans around the globe are desperately waiting for a Conor-Khabib rematch. The rematch is anticipated to gather more eyes looking keenly into this great spectacle.
What's next?
The UFC 229 undercard featured a great fight between Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis. Tony Ferguson may stylistically be the perfect match-up for Khabib, but, there is only one fight that can surpass the record-breaking $2.4 million pay-per-view buys.
Dana White will be looking to sign Khabib and Conor in on the second showdown as soon as possible. Will we see a twist in the tale the second time around, or will Conor get outclassed yet again by "The Eagle"?
Leave your predictions and comments below!
