Khabib Nurmagomedov has re-signed with the UFC after agreeing to headline UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi against Dustin Poirier.
According to the lightweight champion’s manager in Ali Abdelaziz, both he and “The Eagle” are ecstatic with the new contract.
“We’re extremely happy,” Abdelaziz said to MMAFighting about the new deal. “We’re well taken care of. We can’t ask for any better. We [are] very grateful. Easiest negotiation I ever did. It was fair, straight to the point. This is one of the biggest deals in UFC history. I don’t care [about] Conor [McGregor], I don’t care this is one of the biggest guaranteed money [contracts] in UFC history. When you do this kind of deal, people normally burn bridges. The bridges only got stronger, that’s all I’m going to say.
“The UFC stepped up. They give us what we want and they made a good business decision on their behalf and they made us a partner. We are all partners. We are in it together on this.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov highest-paid athlete in the UFC
Not only are they happy with the contract, but Abdelaziz states Khabib Nurmagomedov is now the highest-paid fighter in the UFC. “The Eagle’s” manager believes it is a simple reason why they are the highest-paid. That is because he believes Nurmagomedov is the greatest fighter ever.
“My opinion right now, Khabib is the pound-for-pound greatest fighter we’ve ever seen,” Abdelaziz added. “He never lost. He’s never been caught, he’s never been dropped. He’s dominated every round against almost every opponent. No [performance-enhancing drugs], nothing.
“This is why he’s the highest-paid athlete in the UFC today. Believe me. He’s the highest-paid athlete in the UFC today. And I’m saying that again because I see everything. They showed me everything. Khabib is the highest-paid athlete in the UFC and we are happy. It’s time to fight.”
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This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/4/2019.