One would have imagined that Khabib Nurmagomedov would be chasing a big payday after seeing his purse for UFC 229 withheld by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The NSAC refused to pay Nurmagomedov his $2 million after ‘The Eagle’ flew out of the Octagon to confront Conor McGregor’s team after the main event of UFC 229 10 days ago.
It remains to be seen how hard the commission will come down on both Nurmagomedov and McGregor for the post-fight melee but money doesn’t appear to be an issue for the former as he has reportedly turned down a staggering offer to agree to a rematch with ‘The Notorious’.
Nurmagomedov’s uncle, Alex, has claimed that his nephew rejected the chance to make more money than he has in his entire career because he is not interested in running it back with the Irishman.
“From the start, they offered him $15 million if he agrees,” Alex Nurmagomedov told Sport Express, as translated by MMA Junkie. “But Khabib said no. Let Conor stand in line, let him fight with others. Khabib wants to fight Ferguson, and then finish his career.”
Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor with a fourth-round neck crank to close out a dominant performance against his fiercest rival in their long-awaited grudge match in Las Vegas.
McGregor is entertaining several options for his next outing but according to his head coach John Kavanagh and UFC President Dana White, the former featherweight and lightweight champion is determined to get a second crack at Nurmagomedov.
“[Nurmagomedov] has to go before the Nevada commission and we have to see what’s going to happen with Khabib and this whole mess,” White told ESPN last week. “But Conor McGregor has already called me, wanting a rematch.
“That’s what Conor has asked for. We’ll see what happens with Khabib and what’s next. Tony Ferguson looked amazing [in his victory over Anthony Pettis]. Those two have been lined up three different times to fight and it hasn’t happened. We’ll see how things play out.”
