Khabib to Launch EFC Promotion
Khabib Nurmagomedov, unfortunately for UFC and sports betting fans, will not be stepping into the Octagon in the near future. However, he is still prominent within the scene with other avenues.
He has recently acquired his own MMA promotion named Gorilla Fighting Championship. He then later changed the name to Eagle Fighting Championships (EFC), dubbed after his own nickname of “Eagle.”
How This Plays Into UFC
The main goal of the EFC is not to try and take over the UFC. Instead, Khabib sees an impressive opportunity to partner with the UFC to funnel top-tier fighters into discussions for the UFC.
Similar to the partnership of the UFC and M-1, Khabib hopes to create future champions from the EFC while they navigate over to the UFC. The specifics so far are to have a fighter compete in the EFC and have a few title defenses before taking a shot at the UFC.
Potential Drawbacks
Nurmagomedov knows excellence first-hand with his record of 29-0. You can see how this would translate over to the EFC.
However, the UFC is a powerhouse and is undoubtedly the most competitive market for MMA. It is no secret that fighters want to join the best market with the deepest pockets.
Having fighters move from one league to the EFC will be very time-consuming and take a lot of money and effort for the newly retired Khabib. He suggests that it would take at least 10 years to be better than the UFC.
But his team is not interested in doing that. They’d rather create top-tier fighters within a two-year timeframe and send them over to the UFC.
Khabib Fights Again, or EFC Takes Over the Market?
There has not been much information yet on whether or not Khabib will come out of retirement and compete once more. Analysts, and the UFC online betting community, have argued whether it makes sense for a 30-0 record versus the 29-0 he currently has.
Between Khabib coming out of retirement for one more fight or the EFC taking over the market as the best fight league, which is more likely to happen? Most likely, you would see Khabib strike one more time in the UFC, but this presents an interesting debate.
There have been rumors of Khabib wanting at least a $100 million offer from Dana White to fight again. Also, he does not want Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier to face, so who knows what fighter deserves the matchup.
Other potential fighters that could be up for the task would be Tony Ferguson, Dan Hooker, Justin Gaethje, or Michael Chandler. Again, this is all talk for now as Khabib looks forward to his new venture with the EFC.
Conclusion
The EFC looks promising to be at a level that Khabib wants it to be. He has time on his hands to allow this new project to become an exciting launchpad into the UFC.
As for his retirement, the only concrete information we have so far is that Khabib will come out of retirement if his mother gives him her blessing. For now, we can expect his motivation to be in the EFC.
