After Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in October 2018, he took to Instagram to call out boxing legend Floyd Mayweather as the lightweight UFC champ was seen with Floyd’s manager Leonard Ellerbe.
There were rumors swirling about that potential bout but nothing came to fruition. In more recent times, the 50-0 defensive boxing wizard has been seen with UFC president Dana White and apparently the two have come to an agreement for a bout in late 2020.
Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, reported that there was a $100-million offer for his client to fight Floyd in Saudi Arabia. Nurmagomedov’s father has suggested a twist on the fight – to have 11 boxing rounds and one MMA round that would allow the Dagestan native to use his elite-level wrestling.
Online sportsbook Sportsbook has odds for this potential super fight with the American, Mayweather, set as a -1600 favorite and the Russian, Nurmagomedov, coming back at +800.
Odds Analysis
The original odds for Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. had the boxer Sportsbook at -2250 and the two-division UFC champ coming back at +950, so it’s a little surprising to see Khabib coming in slightly lower at +800. The Eagle is known for his impressive gas tank and terrific wrestling, with the latter not helping in a boxing match. However, Nurmagomedov did show big improvements in his standup, electing to stand and trade with McGregor for most of the third round – the lone round he lost – and also landed the right hand that knocked The Notorious down in the second round.
But Floyd is a different beast. The man is 50-0, with 49 of those wins coming against professional boxers while No. 50 came against McGregor in 2017. Mayweather is a masterful boxer who has cardio for days with an impenetrable defense. He has held multiple world titles in five different weight classes and has beaten the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez, Andre Berto and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Breaking down Mayweather vs Nurmagomedov
Khabib may have one thing that McGregor didn’t and that’s cardio. When Conor fought Floyd, McGregor was gasping for air when the fight hit the sixth round, while Mayweather hadn’t even broken a sweat. I don’t expect Nurmagomedov to bull-rush Mayweather the way McGregor did, and in the Octagon we rarely see the Russian fade through 25 minutes of grinding wrestling with aggressive ground and pound. Many people have criticized Khabib’s standup as sloppy, but he does have sneaky power and has shown an OK chin, eating some shots from McGregor and power punchers like Michael Johnson, Rafael dos Anjos and Edson Barboza.
Mayweather will do what he always does, drag his opponents into deep waters, picking up the pace the longer the fight goes, putting money in the bank as he works the body and looks to finish the fight in later rounds when he’s fresh as a daisy and his foes are looking for a way out. The Michigan native has a nearly impenetrable guard that he throws up when his opponents get near him and head movements that are unmatched. Very rarely through his career has the 42-year-old been hit by hard shots, which has enabled him to post a perfect 50-0 record and continue to perform at a high level.
Apparently, Nurmagomedov was offered the same $100-million contract to rematch Conor McGregor but he scoffed at the idea, having already beaten the Irishman in 2018. With Dana White really pushing for Zuffa Boxing this year and the agreement for Mayweather to compete this year, this fight isn’t as far-fetched as it might have seemed in 2018.
| Boxer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Khabib Nurmagomedov | +800 |
| Floyd Mayweather Jr. | -1600 |
Odds as of February 5 at Sportsbook
