Michael Bisping reckons Khabib Nurmagomedov would go the full distance with Floyd Mayweather should the fight come to fruition.
After submitting Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 229 two weeks ago, Nurmagomedov called out Mayweather for a big-money fight and all signs are pointing to the bout actually taking place.
McGregor was stopped by Mayweather in his boxing debut last August and Nurmagomedov would understandably be a massive underdog if he switches codes to meet the 50-0 great in the ring.
Las Vegas oddsmakers consider Mayweather a 1/20 favourite for the fight with Nurmagomedov and while it’s unlikely that the UFC lightweight champion will be able to blemish Mayweather’s perfect record, Nurmagomedov is being backed to go the distance.
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping is expecting ‘The Eagle’ to last all 12 rounds against Mayweather.
“I swear to god, Khabib would go the distance with Mayweather,” Bisping said on his ‘Believe You Me’ podcast. “He’d go the distance with Mayweather.
“I’m not saying Khabib is a better boxer than McGregor, he’s not a better striker, he’s not as elusive, he’s not as slick but he’s got a fucking chin and he’s got cardio for days. And Mayweather at his age, he was never a knockout guy even though he did have some knockouts. He knocked out England’s very own Ricky Hatton in devastating fashion but I don’t see it.
“He couldn’t put McGregor down and that’s what Khabib’s saying — ‘you couldn’t put McGregor down, I put McGregor down’ — but [Mayweather] put McGregor down through fatigue and that was his game plan. McGregor was very, very tired and he started eating shots and in the end he couldn’t even fight back because he was so exhausted and kind of beat up so the referee stepped in.
“That wouldn’t happen against Khabib and Mayweather would probably embarrass him and light him up and pick him apart all night long but Khabib would probably go 12 rounds. Conor wasn’t far away from going 12 rounds.”
