Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement is one of the biggest what-if's in MMA history.
Just one year after Nurmagomedov announced his retirement, his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, during an appearance on Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson, confirmed that the Russian turned down a $100 million offer to fight boxing legend Floyd Mayweather. During a recent Q&A in New York, he revealed for the very first time exactly why he turned down the huge money offer to face one of the greatest boxers of all-time.
Why Khabib Nurmagomedov Turned Down a Fight Against Floyd Mayweather
Nurmagomedov said legacy means more to him than money
The Russian was offered insane money to fight the boxing legend in 2021, just a year after his retirement, and although this has only been briefly spoken about by Nurmagomedov in recent years, during a recent Q&A, he finally explained why he turned the fight down.
“This is a money fight, but I will never do this because I respect legacy. If you talk about Mayweather as a man, nobody wants to be like him."
Money has never been a motivation for 'The Eagle' or anyone else in his family or team, so it should really come as no surprise that he turned down the fight, especially against a guy as controversial as Mayweather. As he mentioned during his explanation, Khabib values legacy and sticking to the promise he made to his mother following his father's passing over a quick payday.
To round off his explanation, the Russian compared Mayweather to his fellow boxing legend, Muhammad Ali, seemingly insinuating that 'Money' has none of the traits which Ali had, hailing the icon as an "inspiration."
