K. Nurmagomedov (photo) has been waiting for a title challenger for four months since winning it at UFC 223 in April this year. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram khabib_nurmagomedov
Since Conor McGregor was released by the New York courts to fight again, Ultimate is working to get him to compete for the lightweight belt. The clash will be against the category champion and arch-rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Russian's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, stated in an interview with the “MMA Fighting” website that the agreement will only happen if the title holder receives at least 10 million dollars.
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“I'm not a greedy guy. [Conor can] go ahead and make $100 million. If Khabib can make 10 million, I'm happy. At the end of the day, it's not just someone I manage. He's my little brother too. It’s not: “I’m going to fight for him, I’m going to do this deal”. It's what he deserves. I don't want anything more than what he deserves. That's it. I believe he is one of the biggest stars in the UFC today,” Ali explained.
The lightweight champion's manager confirmed that he wants to earn more than Nate diaz received for the second fight against the Irishman. This is because he believes that Khabib is superior to the American. “I’m not going to overplay my hand and they need to be fair. There is no way, Nate diaz will make more money than Khabib. There's no way. [Nurmagomedov is the] undefeated, undisputed lightweight champion of the world. That’s it,” he said.
Although a fight with McGregor is the first option, Abdelaziz is also interested in making a fight between Khabib and Dustin poirier. If the Irishman is not willing to negotiate, he guarantees that he will have 'great pleasure' in the duel with the North American who is coming off a victory over Eddie Alvarez.
“If Conor starts to play, we are fighting against Poirier. I think he deserves it before Conor. But Conor wants to come, you have to take your checkbook with you. Because he doesn't deserve this. Poirier deserves this”, concluded Ali.
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