Khabib Nurmagomedov's father wants a "special rules" fight against Floyd Mayweather after UFC 249
Khabib Nurmagomedov may already have half a mind as to what's next after UFC 249 and it doesn't involve Conor McGregor! The Russian UFC Lightweight Champion is set to face Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 - a fight that many believe will be his toughest to date.
Dana White has insisted that he wants to see Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have a rematch - in what will undoubtedly be bigger than their first PPV bout at UFC 229.
However, Khabib's father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov spoke to Tass.ru (H/T BJPenn.com) that he wants his son to face Floyd Mayweather after UFC 249:
“Mayweather has statistics on fights of 50 wins and zero losses, he is the greatest in boxing and he wants to fight with the same champion who did not lose a single fight, with Khabib,”
The bout had been teased before by both parties but never worked out because they were never serious, to begin with. However, with Dana White and Floyd Mayweather confirming his return from retirement this year, there's a possibility of a crossover of some sort.
Abulmanap suggested a unique idea for a "special rules" boxing match in the fourth quarter of the year:
“We said a long time ago: let us finish with Tony, after that we will work with [the team of Ukrainian boxer Vasily] Lomachenko for six months, then there will be a boxing fight,” Nurmagomedov added. “We offer any day anywhere, with only one condition: 11 rounds in boxing and one in mixed martial arts. We will stand 11 rounds against the best boxer, so why not go one round according to the rules of MMA with us? But all things will happen after Tony.”
The idea is certainly an interesting one. The word seems to be that Mayweather will compete in one boxing match and another that's part of a collaboration with the UFC. One thing is for sure - with the likes of Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather being more active, the World of combat sports is going to be a lot more exciting.
However, the next mega-fight to be excited about is Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.