$ 100 million fee and invitation to the ring: how revenge Nurmagomedov and McGregor again became the main topic in the UFC

White's intentions

Holding a rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is again becoming the most discussed event in the world of mixed martial arts. The victory over Donald Cerrone forced the UFC leadership to believe in the Irish again and begin with renewed vigor to unwind the return match with the Russian. Moreover, not the athletes themselves are more active, but the head of the promotion, Dana White, who managed to repeatedly declare the possibility of organizing it.

In particular, the UFC president admitted that the second battle between Nurmagomedov and McGregor is part of the organization’s plans and should be held in the fall. The reason for this is the holding of the championship fight between Habib and Tony Ferguson, as well as the need to get in shape after the celebration of Ramadan. As you know, Habib follows the traditions and very strongly limits himself in food during this period, which will invariably lead to a decrease in the level of preparedness.

“September, October or November,” White told ESPN when answering a question about the estimated date of the battle between Nurmagomedov and McGregor.

However, he noted that plans are likely to change. McGregor himself does not intend to wait so long and wants to once again enter the octagon in the coming months. As the ex-champion himself admitted in two weight categories, he plans to conduct three battles in 2020, which runs counter to White's strategy.

“Conor says he doesn't want to wait so long. I don’t know what other battle may matter now. Conor, on the other hand, cannot be guessed. They love him because you never know about whom he will say: “Listen, now I want to fight this guy!” Moreover, we can talk about another division or anything else. You won’t get bored with him, ”added White.

Some time ago, it seemed that the retaliatory battle would remain an impossible hope for Irish fans. The Russian himself continued to stubbornly deny the possibility of organizing a meeting, and White either took his position or avoided answering. But as former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping said, recent events have completely changed the balance of power, and Nurmagomedov’s word suddenly lost weight.

“I asked Dana:“ Is Nurmagomedov going to do what they say to him? ” To which he replied: "He will accept this battle." White also said their first bout was the biggest money event in UFC history. Therefore, revenge will be even greater. But first, Habib will fight with Tony in April, after which Ramadan will come, so he will take a short break, ”BJPenn.com quotes Bisping.

Multi-million interest

Given the fact that Nurmagomedov has repeatedly stated his desire to end his career in the near future, White’s intention at all costs again to push him against McGregor seems quite obvious. At the moment, none of the possible duels will bring the UFC as much profit as a rematch between two representatives of the light division. Even the possible fight between Habib and Georges Saint-Pierre and Conor with Jorge Masvidal is unlikely to cause such a strong stir.

However, the Russian team continues to stubbornly deny the possibility of meeting with the Irishman and calls this option non-priority. So, fighter manager Ali Abdel-Aziz admitted that he is aware of the level of interest in this event, but intends to negotiate in another direction.

“I know some people from Saudi Arabia who are already ready to pay Habib $ 100 million for the battle with Conor. There are people there who are ready to give as much for Nurmagomedov’s duel with Mayweather. If you choose from them, then there is a better chance that we prefer Floyd. But that doesn’t matter now. Most importantly, he will meet with Ferguson. I think only about that. All other conversations need to be set aside. The main thing is to defeat Tony, ”said Abdel-Aziz in an interview with TMZ.

The manager once again noted that he did not consider McGregor worthy of a rematch with Nurmagomedov, saying that he could not ask for this after defeating a 36-year-old opponent.

“If he wants to fight for the belt, then he must meet with Justin Gatji, Islam Makhachev. With young fighters who are replacing. McGregor's victory over Cerrone did not impress me. Yes, it was a good performance, but this is not enough to get revenge with Nurmagomedov, ”concluded Abdel-Aziz.

The father of the Russian fighter Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov is of the same opinion. In his opinion, McGregor has no reason to re-meet with his son, and the organization’s desire is dictated by financial gain.

“What does the word“ revenge ”mean? This is when the champion loses by chance or split decision. But he gave up! For Dana White, it makes sense to make money. And for the sports component this fight has no value. $ 100 million per battle? The amount may be completely different, ”said Nurmagomedov Sr. on the Fight Nights Global TV YouTube channel.

Meeting in the ring

However, the public’s desire to see the second match between Nurmagomedov and McGregor is so great that the manager is unlikely to be able to save Khabib from the second meeting with Conor.

“It would be interesting to organize a fight, not Nurmagomedov against Mayweather, but Khabib against Conor, but according to the rules of boxing. These will be equal rights, I would like to make such a duel. I would offer them such an option. Still, boxing is a culture of sports, it is higher than the UFC and MMA. Boxing is the king of martial arts ”, said the head of the Boxing Federation of Russia Umar Kremlin.

At the same time, it is possible that McGregor will have time to return to the ring before meeting with Nurmagomedov. For several weeks, the head of the promotion company Top Rank, Bob Arum, has been promoting his two-match confrontation with Terence Crawford with all his might and does not intend to slow down.

“Conor McGregor is a good athlete, but he is not a boxer. He is an MMA fighter. But let's check it out. They (with Crawford. - RT) can fight in the octagon, and three months later fight in the boxing ring. Let the octagon be the first. I do not want them to think that we are a fool. Crawford is a very serious opponent and is familiar with wrestling firsthand. He is not Floyd Mayweather, who is magnificent in the ring, but is unlikely to cope in a cage. I think Terence is a world-class wrestler. So let them fight. I think it will be powerful, ”Aruma quotes BoxingScene.

Crawford himself did not stand aside. Former undisputed world champion in welterweight boxing expressed confidence that he could prepare for the fight with McGregor as soon as possible. At the same time, he added that the Irishman should worry more about his standing skills.

"It will be interesting. He has good kicks, he is strong. I will have to prepare myself for this, but I feel that everything will be in order, ”concluded Crawford.