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In an interview last week, UFC president Dana White stated that on Monday, Oct. 28, 2020, the Khabib Nurmagomedov fight is likely to be the biggest the UFC has ever had. White continued:
Not Thursday, not Friday — Monday! It’s trending bigger than Khabib vs. McGregor!
And what makes this fight so big is that people believe this kid Gaethje has the style to beat him, So you have all the ingredients for a massive fight. You have a big superstar and you’ve got a kid that’s coming off an incredible win over a highly respected fighter.
Nurmagomedov History
Nurmagomedov is a 32-year old Russian best known for his record of longest unbeaten matches of 27 wins in mixed martial arts (MMA). He is an International Master of Sports in Army Hand-to-Hand Combat, Pankration, and a World Champion in combat sambo.
He has been ranked No. 3 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings as of January 2019. He was asked his thoughts about who could be the next challenger for his title after his defense against Justin Gaethje.
There is a rematch between McGregor and Poirier looming. Nurmagomedov is open to potentially fighting the winner. But he has one stipulation, their fight can not take place at welterweight if either wants a title shot.
He spoke to TSN Monday and said:
If they fight at 170 or 185, this is not [a] lightweight contender fight. You want to fight at [a] lightweight contender for the belt, you have to fight at [a] lightweight. If you want to fight for the title at 155, you have to make 155.
Written by Omari Jahi
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
SB Nation: White: Forget MMA, Khabib Is ‘One Of The Biggest Stars In All Of Sports’, Ryan Harkness
The Famous People: Khabib Nurmagomedov Biography
MSN Sports: Khabib Nurmagomedov: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier must be 155 if the winner wants a title shot, Nolan King
Feature and Top Image Courtesy of GMC-MMA’s Wikimedia – Creative Commons License