After the victory over Conor McGregor, the name of the future rival of the current UFC lightweight champion became the main intrigue for the seriously increased army of Habib Nurmagomedov's fans. There were rumors about a possible revenge against the Irishman, a long-awaited meeting with Tony Ferguson, as well as a possible fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. It is noteworthy that Habib personally challenged the undefeated boxer, which only reinforced the idea in the minds of fans about the possible departure to boxing.
Subsequently, the American boxer himself declared his interest. The only snag is a possible ban for Nurmagomedov to conduct fights in the territory of the state of Nevada by the local Athletic Commission (NSAC). But Mayweather partner and founder of The Money Team Russia project Timofey Kurgin believes that this will not be an obstacle to organizing the event.
“The battle between Floyd and Conor MacGregor brought more than $ 600 million. If the fight with Habib can get half of this amount, it will still be a lot of money. I am sure that Nurmagomedov will not have serious problems with the NSAC, but if the fight cannot take place in Las Vegas, then in Russia there is one region close to the fighter's homeland, and his head is able to solve any problems, ”said Kurgin.
He hinted at the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who had already offered his assistance in organizing and conducting a fight between Nurmagomedov and Mayweather.
“If Habib and Floyd agree on a fight, we will be happy to give them such an opportunity in Grozny. We will organize it at the highest level! ”Said Kadyrov.
The head of Chechnya admitted that he would support Nurmagomedov in this fight, but also noted that he has great respect for the boxer from the United States.
“I'm a big fan of Mayweather's talent, I respect him a lot. He comes to us like home. His words: “I want to build a house in Chechnya, live in Grozny, get Russian citizenship.” I have very good, friendly, fraternal relations with him, ”Kadyrov concluded.
But, judging by the latest statements of the head of UFC Dana White, in contrast to the previous meeting with McGregor, it will be much more difficult to organize the fight of Nurmagomedov - Mayweather. The president of the Absolute Fight Championship said that this time he did not intend to be led by Floyd and would not allow Habib to fight according to the boxing rules.
“Listen, if Mayweather wants to fight, then let him come. He must be beaten in the UFC. We will not box with him. We did it once. It's over, ”TMZ Sports quotes White.
However, as it became known quite recently, Nurmagomedov can fight with another sports legend, but this time not boxing, but MMA. According to Twitter MMA Team Dagestan, currently the UFC is engaged in organizing the fight between Habib and the former champion in two weight categories Georges Saint-Pierre. In his last fight, the Canadian defeated Michael Bisping and won the middleweight title, but was forced to surrender him because of his health problems.
For Nurmagomedov, the opportunity to enter octagon with Saint-Pierre is a goal that he and his circle have been talking about for a long time. So, even before the battle with McGregor, Habib’s manager Rizvan Magomedov hinted at a possible fight with a Canadian.
“Cash fights will always be there. This does not mean that they will fight tomorrow and life will end. Still missing super fights. Same meeting with Georges St. Pierre. It is always interesting, ”admitted Magomedov to Sport24.
He focused on the opportunity to fight the legendary Canadian and the father of the UFC lightweight champion Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
“Ferguson? Now there are two fighters who have 11 victories. There is a legend Georges St. Pierre. And he and the other - at any time, in any country. I think Tony now agrees to a fight, ”said Nurmagomedov, the senior on Match TV.
At the same time, the legendary Canadian himself voiced interest in this fight, who ranks third in the promotion history by the number of consecutive title defenses.
“The battle with the winner of the meeting between Nurmagomedov and McGregor is interesting to me. It would have added a new page to my biography, and also brought money. But in the UFC they may be afraid of the fact that I will leave a light weight without a champion - I have already won titles in the medium and medium categories, and then refused the belt. But I don't need a title - I need a place in history, ”said Saint-Pierre of Submission Radio.
Of course, the duel between Saint-Pierre and Nurmagomedov would become one of the most anticipated events of the year in MMA and would allow Habib to achieve even greater popularity, regardless of the outcome of the meeting. Suffice it to recall that a Canadian has long been considered the most popular fighter of the company, which has direct confirmation. Thus, the UFC 129 tournament, the main event of which was the fight between Georges and Jake Shields, still holds the second place in attendance with a score of 55,724 spectators.
Attractive this fight and in terms of style. Both athletes became famous for their fantastic wrestling skills, and Nurmagomedova was compared to Saint-Pierre for a long time. Both prefer to lay their rivals on the floor of the ring, and then bombard them with powerful blows. Thus, their face-to-face fight could finally determine which of the fighters is the best in this aspect.
It can already be noted that not only fans, but also leading UFC fighters would like to watch this fight. The champion of the organization in light heavy and heavy weights, Daniel Cormier, admitted that the fight between Nurmagomedov and Saint-Pierre would have become "a very big fight."
“Canadian is very strong! The fight with St. Pierre does not necessarily have to be a title. He will be very significant anyway. When guys like Habib and Georges turn up in your ring, it's cool. Let's give these guys a fight! ”MMA Fighting quotes Cormier.
According to him, Nurmagomedov is the favorite of this confrontation, but the battle will not be easy for him.
“Perhaps everything will be decided only after the judges have scoring them,” added Cormier.
But according to White, the company's management is not at all interested in arranging a duel between Nurmagomedov and Saint-Pierre. Moreover, Dana admitted that he personally talked about this with the Canadian before the memorable UFC 229 tournament.
“I told Georges about this many times - I’m not interested in the battle of Saint-Pierre with the winner of the meeting of Habib and Conor. It is logical that he is looking for the fight, which will bring him a big fee. From a business point of view, I understand Georges. But for us this is not of interest. A Canadian can return to welterweight and compete there, but I'm not at all sure that he will do it, ”White says MMA Mania.
However, it is not necessary to exclude in advance the possibility of this fight. The mutual interest of the fighters and the willingness of fans to pay for a paid broadcast can convince the UFC leadership. The promotion has repeatedly made a choice in favor of monetary battles, and this confrontation will surely bring him, if not a record, then a solid profit.
But if White still remains firm in his decision, one should not dismiss other possible opponents of Nurmagomedov. The UFC may well, like once again try to arrange a duel between a Russian and Ferguson, or provide an immediate revenge to McGregor. However, in the case of the Irishman, even his coach John Kavana is not sure whether this move is worth it.
"Revenge? I think it depends on Conor. After the battle, we exchanged several messages, but I did not meet him in person. When we do this, I will talk to him. I'll ask what his motivation is. I will hear how much he still wants to fight. One or five more? ”Said Kavana to BJPenn.com.
According to him, he can not say for sure that Macgregor has retained the motivation necessary to conduct another battle in the cage.
“There is an old saying that it’s hard to get up in the morning to run when you sleep in silk pajamas. MMA is a very, very tough sport. Training is extremely exhausting, and McGregor will soon have a second child. Does he have the same motivation? I think so, ”the mentor concluded.