Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje are set to fight on October 24th, but as far as what comes after their clash at UFC 254 the UFC champ doesn’t have any clear answers. During the UFC Media Day call Nurmagomedov stated he doesn’t think retirement will be the next step, but he wants to fight for his legacy and not just for money.
I love competition. I love to compete with the best fighters in the world. That’s why I am here. I’m not in the UFC to make money. I have a lot of business projects outside the UFC, I can make money. I don’t think retirement after this fight. Dana told me after this fight, he has something special for me. But I told him, please keep this, after fight we’re going to talk. He say has very big things after this fight for me. We’ll see.
What MMA Fans Want To See vs What Khabib Wants
Should Khabib win on October 24th, the UFC could offer the champ a shot at GSP. Lets be honest, GSP is 39 years old. He defeated Michael Bisping at UFC 217 three years ago and hasn’t been back since. I don’t want to see GSP even have the chance to come back into the octagon, win the belt, and ride off into the sunset. The fight would have to be at Welterweight considering that is all GSP has fought at, so Khabib would have to move up in weight which changes a lot of things. Plus, at almost 40 years GSP would struggle making 155lbs.The move up in weight would make an easier weight cut for Khabib, but would he have to abandon the Lightweight belt? Would we have another interim fight? So. Many. Questions.
Khabib vs McGregor? Khabib vs Mayweather? Anything Is Possible At This Point
If Nurmagomedov is not interested in money fights then a fight against McGregor wouldn’t make sense for the champ. Although there is major appeal for a rematch and something most MMA fans would love to see, the champ has made it clear Conor has to climb the Lightweight ladder first. If McGregor and Poirier end up fighting then it increases the possibility of a rematch happening, but McGregor would have to pull off the win first. I’d much rather see McGregor vs Khabib 2 than anything to do with GSP, but that’s if and only if McGregor can be Poirier.
Oh, and lets not forget about the rumored Khabib vs Mayweather fight (which by the way Mayweather wants $300 MILLION for) that is also a possibility. I think the fact that Khabib mentioned he fights for legacy would mean that this is a legit fight that could happen. Sure, $300 million sounds nice, but for Khabib its about beating a fighter that is 50-0. Mayweather has had such an astonishing career that Khabib would love nothing more than to add a 1 to Mayweather’s name. The only problem is there is no way Mayweather enters the octagon so I can’t see Khabib agreeing to just a boxing match. At this point though anything is possible for the MMA GOAT, but he first has to get through Justin Gaethje…
