The UFC Lightweight Champion Has Signed a New Deal… It’s Set to Make Him One of the Highest Paid Fighters in the History of the Promotion… And There is a Special Clause if They Agree a Deal to Fight Georges St. Pierre…
Khabib Nurmagamedov is set to return to action against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi on September 7. The Dagestani Russian fighter is one of the most feared fighters on the planet because of his ruthless style and relentlessly brutal pace.
He has an incredible record of 27-0, only losing one round in his entire UFC career. That was against Conor McGregor and only because he took the gas off to catch his breath after brutalizing the Notorious in the previous stanza. The following round would see him submit the Irishman.
At this moment in time, it’s very difficult to see anybody beating him. That’s why the UFC is investing in their Russian star. He’s signed a new contract which even has a special clause if the unlikely happens and he fights retired Canadian legend Georges St. Pierre.
Happy
Khabib’s manager Ali Abdelaziz told MMA Fighting that the team was extremely happy with what they had gained. The UFC had basically granted them all of their demands so of course, they are delighted. He said:
“We’re extremely happy. We’re well taken care of. We can’t ask for any better. We very grateful. Easiest negotiation I ever did. It was fair, straight to the point. This is one of the biggest deals in UFC history. I don’t care Conor [McGregor], I don’t care this is one of the biggest guaranteed money [contracts] in UFC history.
“When you do this kind of deal, people normally burn bridges. The bridges only got stronger, that’s all I’m going to say.The UFC stepped up. They give us what we want and they made a good business decision on their behalf and they made us a partner. We are all partners. We are in it together on this.”
The Best
Of course, Abdelaziz is biased but he believes Khabib is the greatest fighter in the history of the UFC. While we don’t think he’s there just yet – he still needs a few more title defences before that accolade can be considered – he definitely is one of the most dominant that we’ve ever seen.
“My opinion right now, Khabib is the pound-for-pound greatest fighter we’ve ever seen,” he said. “He never lost. He’s never been caught. He’s never been dropped. He’s dominated every round against almost every opponent. No [performance-enhancing drugs], nothing.
“This is why he’s the highest-paid athlete in the UFC today. Believe me. He’s the highest-paid athlete in the UFC today. And I’m saying that again because I see everything. They showed me everything. Khabib is the highest-paid athlete in the UFC and we are happy. It’s time to fight.”
St. Pierre
The Egyptian manager also revealed that a special clause has been inserted for if Khabib fights the retired Georges St. Pierre. The two wanted to fight in the past, but it was squashed by the UFC. While the terms of this clause have not been exposed, it is probably financial. Abdelaziz said:
“We tried to organize the fight with Khabib, I know Khabib want it and I want it, but the UFC had other plan[s],” St. Pierre said. “To the point where I am in my career, for me it’s more taking one fight at a time instead of being there for several fights, and the way the business works … if they promote someone, they want to keep him somewhere … it’s like an investment.”
