Ahead of a meeting with Dana White about whether he has a future in the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov has indicated that he has no interest in fighting the winner of the upcoming Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier rematch in January.
“First, he will probably offer money,” Nurmagomedov said during a press conference to announced his new MMA promotion Eagle Fighting Championships. “What for? I choked both [Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier]. Why should I do this?”
“Yes, only money. There is no sports interest there.
“I choked both of them, both were champions, both surrendered to me. As our proverb says: a horse doesn’t run until the donkey wins.
“Donkeys don`t even take part in competitions where horses run. I have no interest in fighting against these opponents.
“Imagine UFC offered you $100 million. This is already a problem. But there is no sports interest there.”
Khabib’s comments cast more doubt about whether he would be willing to go back on his decision to retire from the sport.
Dana White has stated in recent days that he still believes Khabib will return to complete his previous ambition to reach 30-0, but as things stand the only fight that stands any chance of luring him back would appear to be a superfight with retired legend Georges St-Pierre.
Whether even that would be enough to convince ‘The Eagle’, and whether GSP could also be convinced to compete again remains to be seen.
