Khabib Nurmagomedov has set the bar high. The Dagestani fighter says he can become the Floyd Mayweather of MMA by retiring as champion with an undefeated record.
At just 28 years old, Nurmagomedov has already notched 24 straight wins and will look to extend his record to 25-0 when he takes on the No. 2 ranked Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title at UFC 209.
Speaking to TMZ on Thursday, ‘The Eagle’ said he’s going to ‘smash’ Ferguson for the interim belt and then smash Conor McGregor for the official title.
“Conor has to be careful because I’m going to smash Tony Ferguson and after I’m going to smash Conor McGregor,” Nurmagomedov said, per Jonathan Bradley of FOX Sports. “I think after this one, people will begin to forget about this guy. But now, everybody talks about him, but it’s okay. For me, it’s okay.”
Nurmagomedov then went on to compare himself to Mayweather, claiming that he wants to retire as the greatest lightweight fighter of all time.
“Floyd Mayweather is one of the greatest boxers, but I think I am the Floyd Mayweather of MMA. I am 24-0, I can be 26-0 — 10-0 in the UFC — undefeated and undisputed UFC lightweight champion. I want to become the greatest lightweight ever. This is what I want.”
Mayweather is considered the greatest boxer of this era and retired with an undefeated record of 49-0 when he cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Andre Berto in 2015. The boxing great has said that he’ll only come out of retirement to face McGregor, as both men could generate some of the biggest pay-per-view numbers in combat sports history.
Nurmagomedov, however, doesn’t care about either fighter and is focused on cementing his own legacy.
“I don’t care about him, I only want to fight for the title. This is what I want. I don’t care about Conor or Floyd Mayweather,” he said.
Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson will co-headline the UFC 209 pay-per-view on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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