A second fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is likely one of the biggest fights the UFC could make right now. The first meeting between the two men broke records for the world’s largest MMA organization, with a new high bar for PPV sales in MMA – at somewhere well over 2 million (reportedly) – as well as live gate and attendance records for MMA in the state of Nevada.
But, if Khabib vs. Conor II really is a fight that the UFC and McGregor are interested in making again, it could come with some interesting stipulations from the Dagestani’s camp. Most notably? A boxing match instead of MMA.
At least, that was the idea that Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap said that he and his son were considering when asked about the possibility by Russian news outlet Izvestia (h/t Irish Mirror):
“As for the fight against Conor under boxing rules, this is a fight we are interested in,” Abdulmanap said. “Khabib showed that he is able to beat the best strikers of mixed martial arts. He said this before, but few believed it. However, after strong victories over Michael Johnson, Edson Barboza, and Conor, people begin to believe.
“Nurmagomedov is able to do it in the boxing ring. Khabib has all the skills to win by the rules of boxing. One of the key skills can be called endurance. I remember his five round fight with Iaquinta, in which Khabib showed his willingness to fight in absolutely any area, using everything from a light left jab to control on the ground. I want to note that the fight with Iaquinta was of great importance for us, there was a title belt at stake and it was important to keep the bout calm, and take the win. Which we did.”
McGregor has made it clear several times since his loss at UFC 229 that he wants a quick rematch with the ‘Eagle’ — either immediately or after a top contenders bout. With Dana White continuing his drive to create Zuffa boxing sometime in the near future, maybe a boxing match between the two men isn’t so far fetched.
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