The Ultimate Fighting Championship would have to break the bank if it pursues the rematch between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Following McGregor’s 40-second knockout of Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, the promotion chief, Dana White, said the rematch with the Russian champion is the fight that makes sense for ‘The Notorious.’
“When you look at this for Khabib, Khabib is 28-0. He’s undefeated. You start talking about this kid’s legacy.”
“First of all, to go 28-0 in this sport? I don’t care who you’ve fought. It’s tough to do.”
“Well, this guy is a world champion. After tonight, with how Khabib won the first time, and how famous Khabib has become since that first fight, we’re looking at Hagler-Hearns.”
“We’re looking at Ali-Foreman (or) Ali-Frazier. This is a massive fight with global appeal. It’s the fight you make,” White told the media (via MMA Junkie).
Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov the fight to make, Dana White says https://t.co/N8JcY3kt9G pic.twitter.com/lyqkmAL9Q2
— Enewsgate Feed (@enewsgate) January 19, 2020
Revenge
The two MMA superstars tussled in the main event of UFC 229 in October 2018, with the fight card earning an estimated $2.4 million pay-per-view buys – the highest ever in the promotion’s history.
When the dust settled, Nurmagomedov had his hand raised after pulling off a fourth-round submission to retain his lightweight title and to stay undefeated in 27 outings.
Since that encounter, ‘The Eagle’ has unified the lightweight titles, beating Dustin Poirier at UFC 243, while McGregor needed to sit out for more than year due to NSAC suspension and a hand injury.
If the UFC wants to book their rematch, the company needs to pay the Russian a heftier paycheck, according to Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
”We also need revenge against Conor,” Khabib’s father told RIA Novosti in a recent interview.
“But give us $100 million. The day after the fight against Ferguson, give us that amount and then why not get revenge?”
“I don’t know, maybe Dana White wants to arrange it (for that amount), he needs that fight.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov Father: 'Give Us $100 Million' And We Will Rematch McGregor https://t.co/kVhh6Es5K1 #AbdulmanapNurmagomedov #conormcgregor #KhabibNurmagomedov #UFC #UFC246 via @MiddleEasy
— MiddleEasy (@MiddleEasy) January 20, 2020
Not Surprised
Khabib’s coach and father also commented on the Irishman’s most recent performance, saying he is far from impressed with knockout win as his opponent is not a higher ranked welterweight.
“Nothing surprising, I saw nothing new,” Abdulmanap stated.
“This is the 170-pound weight division, where the strongest fighters are gathered, regardless of weight category.”
“Therefore, I think that absolutely nothing has changed in this weight, the current champion has remained on the throne.”
“The top contender for the lightweight title is Tony Ferguson.”
“If Conor wants to prove something at welterweight, then there are Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal — these are the greatest fighters.”
“McGregor and Cerrone in this weight aren’t even Top 10. “
Morning Report: Conor McGregor not interested in waiting for Khabib Nurmagomedov: ‘The who doesn’t matter for me now’ (@jedkmeshew) https://t.co/BYAYW6DWhW pic.twitter.com/3XMciSxXkQ
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) January 20, 2020
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov)