If there's a fight being planned between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, UFC president Dana White isn't aware of it. Responding to the
growing speculation of another potential crossover super fight, White said to ignore the chatter.
“Don’t pay attention to it,” White told ESPN.
“First of all, the Mayweather team has not approached us at all. Khabib is under contract with the UFC. Floyd is very good about getting his name out there when he wants to.”
Technically, Khabib Nurmagomedov
was the one to challenge Mayweather to a fight, suggesting the two unbeaten fighters put their undefeated records on the line. Nurmagomedov is 27-0 in the MMA and coming off an impressive victory over Conor McGregor. Floyd Mayweather, meanwhile, is a perfect 50-0 in boxing and actually defeated Conor McGregor in a boxing match in 2017.
In a post on social media, Khabib praised Mayweather as a fighter but pointed out that only he had dropped McGregor, referencing his victory at UFC 228 in which he submitted McGregor in the fourth round. Mayweather earned a TKO in his boxing match against McGregor but technically didn't knock him to the mat.
Mayweather seemed open to the fight, provided the price is right. Earlier this week, Mayweather sounded pretty confident when he told TMZ Sports,
"We're fighting."
Although both sides seem open to it, there will undoubtedly be some hurdles Khabib Nurmagomedov must cross. For starters, the Nevada Athletic Commission recently handed Nurmagomedov (and McGregor) a temporary suspension with further sanctions potentially pending following an investigation into their post-fight brawl at UFC 229.