Khabib’s manager isn’t asking for a location, he’s targeting the money.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor is easily the biggest fight the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) can put together. “The Eagle” and the “Notorious” one have some bad blood brewing. Thrown in the fact that McGregor is the UFC’s biggest draw and you have an event that’s expected to top one million pay-per-view buys.
Khabib’s Manager Sees Dollar Signs
Of course this leaves the door open for both sides to negotiate before pen is put to paper. Khabib’s manager Ali Abdelaziz has been praised for giving his fighters the best deals they’ve ever seen within the organization. So it comes as little surprise that Abdelaziz will do everything in his power to give his top star a massive payday.
Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Abdelaziz said his fighter can’t make less than what Nate Diaz made for his fight against McGregor at UFC 202:
“We will get a deal done. 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.”
Diaz made $2 million for his rematch with McGregor back in Aug. 2016. McGregor walked out with $3 million. For comparison, Nurmagomedov is reported to have made $500,000 for his UFC 223 bout not including Performance Guidelines Compliance pay or private bonuses. That number isn’t official, but his UFC 219 number is. “The Eagle” made $160,000 that night with $80,000 to show and $80,000 to win. If his reported UFC 223 salary holds true, then the UFC isn’t shy about bumping up his pay. Of course, the jump from $500,000 to $2 million is significantly greater.
Do you think Khabib’s manager will get his wish?
