Khabib Nurmagomedov continues to tease us with potential fight options outside of the UFC.
Earlier in the week, Khabib laid down the gauntlet, declaring his willingness to walk away from the sport if the UFC fires his training and UFC 229 brawl partner Zubaira Tukhugov. That was followed up by an unusual exchange with 50 Cent offering him $2 million to fight in Bellator. Now Khabib is joking about a move to boxing.
In an Instagram video posted by boxing manager DeJuan Blake, Khabib is hanging out with Mayweather Productions CEO Leonard Ellerbe.
“Hey, let’s go Floyd, we have to fight now,” a smiling Khabib said. “50 and 0 versus 27 and 0, two guys who never lose. Let’s go, why not? Because in the jungle, only one king.”
“Of course I’m the king, because he can not drop McGregor, but I drop him easily, that’s why let’s go.”
Khabib became the first fighter to ever drop Conor McGregor in competition at UFC 229, cracking the Irish superstar with an overhand right that McGregor clearly thought was a takedown. Not even Floyd Mayweather managed to put Conor down over their 10 round boxing match — the referee stepped in to wave off that fight once McGregor started getting overwhelmed with punches.
The chances of Mayweather vs. Khabib are about as high as Mayweather stepping into the Octagon to face McGregor, but it’s all in good fun. Nurmagomedov is everywhere these days, soaking in the publicity and fame that comes with clearly dethroning the king. Now all the UFC has to do is navigate the Dagestani’s prickly honor and incoming NSAC suspensions to try and get him back in the cage while the iron is hot.