UFC president Dana White played down the prospects of a fight between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather, dismissing talk between the two sides that the undefeated fighters could meet in the boxing ring for a bout.
Talking to ESPN, White said that he hadn’t been contacted in regards to trying to make such a fight happen.
“Don’t pay attention to it,” White told ESPN. “First of all, the Mayweather team has not approached us at all. Khabib is under contract with the UFC; we haven’t talked to anybody from the Mayweather team.”
Nurmagomedov Manager Still Pushing for Mayweather Fight
Nurmagomedov may not be able to fight anyone for some time. The champion is currently under a temporary suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to his role in a post-fight brawl that took place after he defeated Conor McGregor by submission in the main event of UFC 229. It is likely that a longer suspension will be forthcoming, one that could prevent the Dagestani martial artist from competing until sometime in 2019.
While White says that the talk about a fight between Mayweather and Nurmagomedov is just that – idle talk – Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz insisted that their side was open to the idea of the fight.
“At the end of the day, Khabib is a UFC fighter. He has a contract with the UFC and we respect the contract,” Abdelaziz told ESPN. “But we’re open, if Floyd wants to box Khabib…you have a guy who is 50-0, a guy who is 27-0. Both have never tasted defeat. Khabib brings 2.5 billion Muslims around the world, some of the richest countries in the world, and they’re behind him. Floyd Mayweather is a megastar…if the two forces clash, that’s a real fight.”
White Says Rematch Unlikely for Now
There’s also still the open question as to who Nurmagomedov’s next UFC opponent may be. While McGregor has already been angling for a rematch, White has said that there may be better sporting options – such as a bout with Tony Ferguson – even if a second meeting with the Irishman would be the biggest draw.
“Obviously, I know Conor wants a rematch,” White said. “We need to do what’s right and what’s fair. We’ll see how it plays out. We literally haven’t thought about it yet.”
Abdelaziz went a step further, saying he doubts that McGregor truly wants to get back into the Octagon with Khabib, saying that his fighter could have ended the fight much earlier had he wanted to.
“He says he wants it, but he don’t want it,” Abdelaziz told ESPN. “How you want a nightmare hunting you for 25 minutes? You have to understand, Khabib carried this boy. Khabib could have finished in the first, second, third round. He finished him in the fourth round. He carried him to punish him.”
If Mayweather did meet Nurmagomedov in the boxing ring, bookmakers have little doubt about the outcome. Paddy Power rates Mayweather as a 1/25 favorite, something Mayweather was more than happy to share with the world via Twitter.
Damn @PaddyPower already got me as a 25-1 favorite over Khabib
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) October 21, 2018
