Ali Abdelaziz is not a dumb man and he knows all the right things to say to ensure the best deals possible for his clients.
Abdelaziz manages several big names in mixed martial arts, with the biggest probably being reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov apparently has only one fight remaining on his current UFC contract and unless the promotion rewards his dominance and boosted profile with an improved deal, ‘The Eagle’ is prepared to run out his contract and then look for a career-high payday against Floyd Mayweather.
Mayweather and Nurmagomedov have been going back and forth ever since the undefeated Dagestani submitted Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 229 last month but Mayweather has since rowed back on any “desire” to share the Octagon with Nurmagomedov, instead insisting on a boxing match.
“They came to me talking about the Khabib fight,” Mayweather told TMZ Sports last week “Khabib called me out, I didn’t call Khabib out.
“They said it has to happen in the Octagon and I said, ‘You just tell me where Khabib has made nine figures before in the Octagon.’
“If he hasn’t made nine figures, he’s not the A side. I’m the A side, so if you guys want the fight to happen, you must come my way. My way, my rules.”
UFC president Dana White has dismissed any chance of allowing Nurmagomedov to box while under contract with the UFC but according to Abdelaziz, ‘The Eagle’ is content to finish out his current deal and then negotiate directly with Mayweather for a 2019 bout.
The news comes from an interview Abdelaziz gave to TMZ, in which the controversial manager also warned Mayweather not to agree to a fight with Nurmagomedov under mixed martial arts rules.
Mayweather, who is set to take part in an exhibition boxing match with undefeated Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa next month, has previously predicted that he will make nine figures if he ends up sharing the ring with Nurmagomedov.
The 50-0 boxing great said said: “It will be more than the McGregor fight. Probably $100 million more, guaranteed. It could be somewhere between $110 million to $200 million guaranteed.”
