Dana White on Mayweather-Nurmagomedov Boxing Talk: 'Don't Pay Attention to It'
UFC president Dana White said to ignore talk of a possible boxing match between Floyd Mayweather (50-0) and UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov (27-0), as no one from Mayweather's team has contacted the UFC.
"Don't pay attention to it," White told ESPN on Thursday. "First of all, the Mayweather team has not approached us at all. Khabib is under contract with the UFC; we haven't talked to anybody from the Mayweather team. Floyd is very good at getting his name back out there when he's ready to."
After the UFC lightweight champion won a submission victory over Conor McGregor on Oct. 6, Nurmagomedov called out Mayweather in a video on social media. Standing next to Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Productions, Nurmagomendov challenged the 41-year-old boxer to a fight.
"Let's go Floyd, we have to fight now," Nurmagomedov said. "50–0 vs. 27–0, two guys who never lose. Let's go, why not? Because in the jungle, there's only one king. Of course I'm the king because he cannot drop McGregor, but I drop him easily. Let's go."
Nurmagomedov (27-0 MMA, 11-0 UFC) was pointing to the fact that both he and Mayweather have now defeated McGregor - and both remain undefeated after doing so.
Mayweather accepted the challenge on Instagram, writing, "CBS, Showtime and MGM Grand get the checkbook out!"
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Despite their public exchanges, White said the UFC has not given Nurmagomedov's next fight any serious thought yet. Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is still trying to make it happen despite the UFC's current stance.
"I'm talking to everybody right now," Abdelaziz said. "At the end of the day, Khabib is a UFC fighter. He has a contract with the UFC, and we respect the contract. ... But we're open, if Floyd wants to box Khabib."
He added: "You have a guy who is 50-0, a guy who is 27-0. Both have never tasted defeat. Khabib brings 2.5 billion Muslims around the world, some of the richest countries in the world, and they're behind him. Floyd Mayweather is a megastar. Floyd 'Money' Mayweather. If the two forces clash, that's a real fight."
