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“I Never Fight for Money”- When Khabib Nurmagomedov Turned Down a Whopping $100 Million to Fight Floyd Mayweather

Published 02/17/2022, 7:53 AM EST

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Khabib Nurmagomedov, retiring at the top of his game, came as a shock to everyone. He dominated the lightweight division and retired at the pinnacle of his career. It seems like Dana White tried his best to convince Khabib to stay longer.

Khabib and Henry Cejudo appeared on Mike Tyson’s podcast months ago and the three athletes talked all about combat sports. At a point, Cejudo revealed how the UFC President offered the Russian millions of dollars to fight Floyd Mayweather. Yet, Khabib did not budge.

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Cejudo said, “Dana White had offered you and this is true Mike, and check this out. He had offered Khabib a $100 million to fight Floyd Mayweather. And Khabib said ‘No, I’m done’. “

Khabib replied, “Because I don’t want to make boxing community upset with me”.

In response, Cejudo spoke about what it would take for him to return. He said, “The only way that I’ll come back to the sport is for money or legacy. Because to me, in my eyes, I know and maybe that’s the only thing that’s going to motivate me and I’m satisfied and I’m full. For you, the money doesn’t matter.”

“Of course, money makes sense, too. … but I never fight for money,” replied Khabib.

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While many have speculated if Khabib would return as several other fighters have, it doesn’t seem likely. He now has his own promotion and is busy coaching and helping his teammates.

Khabib Nurmagomedov talked about Conor McGregor

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In the same conversation, Khabib also spoke about the Irish fighter. Their rivalry was the talk of the town back then and fans talk about it even today.

The Khabib-McGregor fight was a big one. However, ‘The Eagle’ was disappointed that McGregor tapped. Thus, he went on to express this. Khabib felt that McGregor attracts a lot of Irish people to his fights and tapping in front of them was disheartening.

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While Khabib is primarily a wrestler, do you think a match with Floyd Mayweather would have been a good decision?

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Written by:

Rohini Kottu

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Rohini Kottu is a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. She is also a Psychologist and has a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology. Rohini, in her role as a UFC writer, combines her admiration for the mental resilience that MMA fighters have and her love for analysis.
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