Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Manager Has Certain Demand For Conor McGregor Fight
There is one demand that the manager of Khabib Nurmagomedov has for the upcoming lightweight title showdown against Conor McGregor and one that the UFC will have to pay in order to make happen.
Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz went on record by stating to MMA Fighting earlier this week that his client is looking to get paid as he will not take the fight if it’s less money than what Nate Diaz made against the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion when they fought as if you recall, Diaz took home a guaranteed $2 million at UFC 202 in August 2016 which was a rematch between them and the largest drawing PPV to date in the UFC’s history.
According to Abdelaziz, the deal for this fight is likely to get done that will see Nurmagomedov defend his lightweight title against McGregor, which appears to be a straightforward situation considering his latest bout was the biggest fight thus far in his pro-MMA career and he had to go through some hurdles to make it happen in the main event of the UFC 223 pay-per-view event as it went through three official changes that include the UFC attempted to book Nurmagomedov against Tony Ferguson as well as Max Holloway and eventually fighting Al Iaquinta.
“We will get a deal done,” Abdelaziz said at a UFC 227 media lunch for his client Cody Garbrandt. “Trust me. My relationship with Dana, Hunter, Sean, Mick. I have a different relationship. I’m not gonna overplay my hand and they need to be fair. There’s no way in hell Nate Diaz can make more money than Khabib. There’s no way in hell. [Nurmagomedov is the] undefeated, undisputed lightweight champion of he world. That’s it.”
“If you want to make this fight happen, it’s about money,” Abdelaziz said. “It’s not about who’s the champion, the rankings — none of this stuff. It’s about money. Khabib wants to kick his ass, I want to see it, but at the end of the day, if Conor fights it’s business.”
“I’m not a greedy guy,” Abdelaziz said. “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 somebody I manage. It’s my little brother, too. It’s not, ‘I’m gonna fight for him, I’m gonna get you this deal.’ It’s what he deserves. I don’t want anything extra than what he deserves. That’s it. I believe he’s one of the biggest stars in the UFC today.”
This fight is being targeted for either the UFC 229 pay-per-view event is slated to take place on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada while the UFC 230 show will go down on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York City.
