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WATCH: When Khabib Nurmagomedov Confronted Floyd Mayweather’s $600 Million claim

Published 05/16/2022, 1:08 AM EDT

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Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the biggest names in the UFC lightweight history. Many consider him the greatest lightweight ever to set foot in the sport. His 29-0 record is indeed superior to the other top names. As a result, there were rumors about the possibility of a fight between him and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.

However, it couldn’t go through because there was no official agreement over the fight. Whether it would have been a boxing or MMA fight, or a one-of-a-kind mixed rules fight. There were many proposals in the media and ‘The Eagle’ himself had one idea.

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Despite being ready to fight ‘Money’, the money Mayweather demanded baffled Khabib Nurmagomedov. Reportedly, Floyd Mayweather wanted a whopping $600 million paycheck for a fight against Nurmagomedov.

 

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During a press conference before UFC 249, ‘The Eagle’ confronted the media on the issue. He said, “$600 million dollars for what? Fight with me? Who gonna give him this money? Not me. I don’t think Dana gonna give him $600 million dollars. If you wanna fight, we can make fight like this okay – 11 round box and one round MMA. If you make a deal, let’s go, we can fight.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov and All His Special Moments With His Father-Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov

The press conference is from 2020 prior to the UFC 249 where Khabib Nurmagomedov was supposed to fight Tony Ferguson. However, like many times before, the fight couldn’t go through yet again. Instead, Ferguson fought the replacement Justin Gaethje and lost the fight in the fifth round.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson

There are many matches in the UFC that everyone wants to see but could never reach the climax. While everyone has preferences, no one can deny that Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov would have been immense.

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Despite multiple attempts from the UFC, they could never go through with a fight between the two UFC icons. UFC booked ‘The Eagle’ and ‘El Cucuy’ to fight for the finale of The Ultimate Fighter season 22. However, a rib injury in training forced Nurmagomedov out of the fight.

Next, UFC booked the duo for a fight the next year again. This time, Ferguson pulled out because of illness. As a result, fans couldn’t see them fight yet again.

In 2017, UFC announced the third booking of Nurmagomedov vs Ferguson as the co-main event of UFC 209. This time, ‘The Eagle’ pulled out of the fight prior to the weigh-ins after he got hospitalized for weight management issues.

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via Getty

They again booked the two for a fight in 2018, for the fourth time. And the fight got canceled again, yet again. This time, the former UFC interim lightweight champion needed ligament surgery.

And at UFC 249, the UFC made its fifth and last attempt to bring the two UFC icons in the Octagon together. However, it wasn’t meant to be. Nurmagomedov declined to train and travel amid the global pandemic that had taken over the planet by mid-2020.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Top five UFC records held by Khabib Nurmagomedov

What do you think about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s reaction to Floyd Mayweather’s demands for a fight? Let us know in the comments section.

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Written by:

Utkarsh Gathani

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Utkarsh Gathani is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. A Mass Communication graduate from Wilson College, this sports buff, who is captivated by multiple sports, adores MMA. Conor McGregor is the reason for that as Utkarsh is in awe of the man's unbelievable striking ability, his lifestyle, and his trash talking.
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