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Published 13:55 IST, December 7th 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov names price for UFC return, rules out Conor McGregor rematch for good

UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov recently admitted that it would be hard to turn down an offer of $100 million to come out of retirement.

Reported by: Adil Khan
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Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement after defeating Justin Gaethje with a triangle choke in the main event of UFC 254 in October. The Eagle revealed that he had no desire of fighting after the passing of his influential father Abdulmanap, promising his mother that the Gaethje fight would be his last. The news of Khabib’s departure took the MMA world by storm, but some, including UFC president Dana White, believed that the Russian will return for one final bout.

Though the longest-reigning lightweight champion in history has shown very less interest in fighting again, he recently admitted that it would be hard to turn down an offer of $100 million to come out of retirement. "If you decide to finish, finish. But the most likely thing is that Dana offers me money. If, for example, it's 100 million dollars, it would be hard to make a decision. We'll see what he's thinking. I think it's something that will follow me until the end of my life," he told Marca.

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Also Read l Khabib next fight: Khabib Nurmagomedov officially launches own MMA brand EFC

Khabib return: Khabib not interested in fighting McGregor or Poirier?

If Dana White somehow convinces Khabib Nurmagomedov to return for one last bout, The Eagle doesn't want to hear a peep about potential rematches with long-time rival Conor McGregor and former interim champ Dustin Poirier. Nurmagomedov has defeated both the superstars in the past and has no desire to fighting them again. "I'm not interested. I beat them both easily," he added.

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Also Read l Khabib next fight: Nurmagomedov says he’ll return to UFC if his mother “gives her blessing”

Khabib return: Who could Khabib face in his supposed last bout?

So, if not Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, who would Khabib Nurmagomedov like to face in his return bout? The first option would be MMA legend Georges St-Pierre, who Khabib has called out in multiple of occasions. Even Khabib’s father wanted his son to fight Georges St-Pierre, considering the legacy ‘Rush’ created in UFC, before retiring from the sport in 2019. Another fight that makes sense is Khabib vs Ferguson. The pair have seen their fights fall through on five different occasions over the last five years but fans still want to see the bout to go down.

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Also Read l Khabib vs Conor McGregor: Conor and Khabib could come face to face at UFC 257

Also Read l Khabib vs Conor McGregor: Conor calls Khabib a “phenomenal grappler"

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Image Source: AP

13:55 IST, December 7th 2020