After a few months of silence in the world of martial arts, discussion of a possible fight between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr again resumed. This was announced by the manager of the Russian Ali Abdel-Aziz on his Instagram page.
According to the representative of the fighter, the fight was supposed to take place in January 2020, but the negotiations dragged on because of Dana White. Abdel-Aziz did not tell how the UFC president prevented the organization of the fight, but appreciated the fact that the functionary and boxer resumed communication.
This was evidenced by a joint photo of White and Mayweather at one of the matches of the National Basketball Association. In addition, the signature to the photo said that the promoter and boxer are working on one “exciting event” in 2020.
Apparently, the battle between Nurmagomedov and Mayweather could well become them. Rumors about her began to go actively in the press after the battle with Conor McGregor. Moreover, interest was fueled not only by managers, but also by the athletes themselves. Habib and Floyd have repeatedly expressed their desire to meet face-to-face, but the matter never came to concrete negotiations.
However, by the beginning of 2019, the excitement was slightly reduced. If initially not only a boxing ring, but also an octagon was considered as a possible venue for a fight, then Mayweather put an end to rumors about his possible debut in MMA. And this despite the fact that in 2018 he actively promoted the idea of moving to mixed martial arts.
Since then, conversations about Nurmagomedov’s duel with Mayweather gradually subsided. The American admitted that he was ready to fight with the Russian only by the rules of boxing, and also talked about organizing a second duel with Manny Pacquiao. This was confirmed by those close to Floyd, including the first ever representative of The Money Team in the UFC, Mahmoud Muradov. In an interview with RT, he said that in the future, the boxer intends to take part exclusively in demonstration fights.
Nevertheless, White’s involvement in the organization of the Mayweather tournament again made him talk about his possible meeting with Nurmagomedov. However, for Khabib himself, this scenario is far from the best. Moreover, he can harm his mixed martial arts career.
Of course, money is the main and one of the few advantages of participating in this battle. Nurmagomedov is guaranteed to receive the biggest fee in his career at the moment, which will allow him to no longer care about welfare. If he earned about $ 6 million for a fight with Dustin Porrier at the UFC 242 tournament in Abu Dhabi, then he can get ten times more for a duel with Mayweather. Suffice it to recall that in August 2017, McGregor became richer in the amount of about $ 80 million.
However, the advantages for Nurmagomedov end there. Otherwise, the confrontation with Mayweather, if it does not pose a threat to him, at least poses serious risks. One of these is the loss of popularity and the aura of invincibility in case of failure.
At the moment, there is no reason to believe that Nurmagomedov has a chance in a boxing duel with Mayweather. Even in MMA, the Russian never stood out with shock equipment and several times was nearly knocked down. So, Michael Johnson and Dustin Porrier were very close to sending a vis-a-vis to canvas, but he timely resorted to his trademark struggle. In the ring, he will be deprived of such an opportunity, as a result of which he may be in an unenviable position.
View this Instagram post
Published by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) Nov 21, 2019 at 7:24 PST
Now Khabib is rightfully considered one of the most famous athletes in the world, but his incredible popularity is explained not by fantastic charisma, as in the case of Conor, but by his achievements. "Eagle" is not very skilled in oratory and trash-current, which fully compensates for the skill in the cage. The proof of this is 28 consecutive victories in MMA, 12 of which were won under the auspices of the largest MMA promotion on the planet.
In the ring, Nurmagomedov is unlikely to look so frightening and may well end as his worst enemy, MacGregor. Mayweather has repeatedly proved that he is an unsurpassed boxer, and is unlikely to greatly reduce his demands on himself in recent years. Habib runs the risk of being on the floor and thereby seriously spoil his reputation.
It must be understood that the victory over Mayweather will instantly elevate Nurmagomedov to the status of the greatest star in the world of martial arts of his generation. From this point of view, the risk can be considered quite justified, but still it is too great, and the chances of success are not so high. Habib is unlikely to be able to beat his opponent in his field and seriously count on victory by a judicial decision. As a result of this, at one point, the Russian will either have to give up hope of success, or go for a knockout, which is fraught with a possible fiasco.
Failure can affect not only the attitude of the fans, but also the confidence of the fighter. Until now, Nurmagomedov was head and shoulders superior to rivals and practically did not give reason to doubt his skills not only to the fans, but also to himself. Returning to the cell after being defeated by Mayweather can be a serious test for him, especially if it is premature.
View this Instagram post
Posted by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) Nov 21, 2019 at 7:54 am PST
In addition, the intensified preparation for the battle according to the rules of boxing can harm Nurmagomedov. For a long time, a Russian will find himself in a different element and will be forced to develop completely different skills, many of which will be useless in MMA. Here again we need to recall the example of McGregor, who was extremely unconvincing in his first fight after meeting with Mayweather. The Irishman looked unprepared and beat less accentuated than usual.
Undoubtedly, joint training with Vasily Lomachenko will help Khabib to close some gaps in technology, but in a few months he will not become a great boxer. But returning to MMA can be much more difficult. And this taking into account the fact that Tony Ferguson will most likely become his future opponent. At the moment, many consider him the only one who can get the better of an undefeated champion. A long simple Nurmagomedova can only contribute to this outcome.
It is worth noting that, despite the success of Nurmagomedov, many fans still consider him a “paper” champion. As arguments, they mention that in the title fight he took the upper hand over the 11th lightweight rating rating by Al Yakvinta, and carried out two defenses with a ragged MacGregor and missing Porrier stars from the sky. Dustin was always famous for his fighting spirit, but he was never among the elite athletes.
In this regard, many see the duel with Ferguson as the most important fight in the career of Nurmagomedov. Having gained the upper hand over Tony, he can once and for all silence critics who doubt his skill. In terms of heritage, this fight is much more important for Habib than a possible duel with Georges Saint-Pierre. Over the past six years, the 38-year-old Canadian has only once entered the octagon and has never performed in lightweight. Enemies necessarily use these facts to once again accuse Habib of choosing obviously weaker opponents.
The battle with Mayweather can distract Nurmagomedov from his native sport and result in a loss of concentration, form and self-confidence. And returning to MMA can be painful both in case of success and failure. Having earned the biggest money in his career and defeating the legendary boxer, Habib may not want to fight for a small fee and lose motivation, and a defeat can break an athlete. Previously, a Russian has never left a cell defeated, so it is not known how he will react to his first debacle in his career.