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MMA

15th Oct 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov refuses to fight Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas

This bonkers bout is actually gaining traction

Darragh Murphy

Remember when everyone said that the mere thought of Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor was ludicrous?

Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to write off the likelihood of another UFC lightweight champion crossing codes to box Mayweather.

Granted, Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t have the kind of crossover drawing power that McGregor does but the undefeated Russian has definitely become more of a mainstream name after dominating ‘The Notorious’ at UFC 229.

Nurmagomedov has not wasted any time in pulling some McGregor moves by firstly hinting at a switch to WWE before calling out Mayweather.

‘The Eagle’ bumped into Leonard Ellerbe over the weekend and it was then that Nurmagomedov revealed his desire to test his striking against the greatest defensive boxer of all time.

“Hey let’s go Floyd, we have to fight now,” Nurmagomedov said.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo9QDzYAQOT/?hl=en&taken-by=floydmayweather

“50-0 versus 27-0, two guys that never lose. Let’s go, why not. Because in the jungle only one king, only one king.

“Of course I am the king. Because he could not drop McGregor but I dropped him easily.”

Mayweather has recently claimed to be coming out of retirement yet again for a rematch against Manny Pacquiao but has since suggested that he wants to take one tune-up fight before facing off with the Filipino fighter.

Odds have already been released on the potential Mayweather vs. Nurmagomedov bout and, unsurprisingly, ‘Money’ is considered a massive 1/20 favourite.

Nurmagomedov has just one request for the fight, which clearly interests Mayweather, and that’s for it to take place outside of Las Vegas.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has yet to pay Nurmagomedov his $2 million purse for UFC 229 due to his involvement in the post-fight melee.

The Dagestani will likely face a lengthy suspension when the commission meets later this month and he doesn’t want anything to do with the NSAC moving forward, by the sounds of the below Instagram post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo9iAIgHhep/?hl=en&taken-by=khabib_nurmagomedov