A mega-fight among latest UFC Light-weight winner, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and former two-division champion, Georges St-Pierre, is one particular that has been on battle fan’s would like listing for many years. And all that time, UFC president Dana White has been rapid to pour cold drinking water on it.
Just lately, though, White has been a little bit far more receptive to it. Need to that fight arrive to pass, Javier Mendez — head trainer for “The Eagle” — says it would certainly be for the title of “greatest fighter of all time.”
“Yeah, I think so, and so does Khabib,” Mendez mentioned on Monday’s episode of “Hablemos MMA” (by using MMA Junkie). “The particular person that beats GSP will be the finest of all time I believe so.”
I’m positive a specified former Gentle Heavyweight champion would have a say in that dialogue.
Of course, Khabib has a substantial problem ahead of him as he is lined up to defend his 155-pound strap versus interim title holder, Justin Gaethje, in the main function of UFC 254 on October 24, 2020. Need to “The Eagle” win that bout it will force him to 29-, 13- UFC, bringing him that much closer to all-time greatness, as perfectly as retirement.
“Yeah, it is a significant risk,” Mendez reported about the probability of Nurmagomedov fighting “GSP” and then retiring. “He could do that because all the times that I was with him and his dad, they’ve talked about those people factors: two much more fights, 30-.
“They want to a legacy battle, then be performed and aid the other men that are starting up their combating occupations. There is fantastic fighters, cousins of his who are good fighter like Umar and Usman Nurmagomedov. They’re his blood. They’re heading to be great fighters. Islam Makhachev far too,” he included.
Khabib’s father — who passed away a thirty day period in the past — experienced long expressed his interest in just one closing significant-time combat for his son as his swan tune. And if “The Eagle” drowns “Highlight,” one particular would like to think Dana White and Co. would go out of their way to give the biggest Lightweight of all time what he wishes prior to he retires.
And it is not about funds, claims Mendez, but alternatively for legacy and heritage.
“He doesn’t want that combat for dollars and which is what his father wanted. He advised me, ‘That’s what my father needs. What do you believe coach?’ And I was like, ‘You know, if that’s what your father needs, we can do it, and if that is what you want as properly.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, I want to do it for my father, so I’m like, ‘Let’s do it.’
Still, strolling absent should really he achieve 30- isn’t a guarantee considering the fact that the champ is still only 31 decades of age.
“But if he doesn’t want to close his job he can bounce back again in there. He’s young, he’s only 31, so he continue to has a additional many years of fighting. I’m not likely to convey to him he has to fight. I’m going to go with what he wants to do.”
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