UFC 300 was promised to be a card that would knock fans’ socks off. And there was good reason to believe that this would be true given the track record of UFC 100 and 200, which had the biggest, most exciting fights possible on the card, especially the main event.
While the Dana White led promotion has not managed to fulfill these expectations with the announcement of Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill for the light heavyweight title as the headliner for the event, it seems the promotion did try to leave no stone unturned to give the fans what was promised, as UFC icon and former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed in a recent interview.
Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals UFC contacted him for UFC 300 booking
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Khabib Nurmagomedov told MMA Mania that the UFC had reached out to his manager, Ali Abdelaziz to offer him a fight (and presumably an ungodly amount of money), but reiterated that there was no chance he would be back since he had retired following his father’s death due to Covid-19 in 2020.
Khabib says that he didn’t personally get a call from the UFC to fight at #UFC300, but his manager Ali Abdelaziz did.
“I know they connected with Ali, but I told Ali… never call me about a fight.
I decide this, October 2020 was my last fight. I will never change this.”
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 1, 2024
“I know they connect with Ali [Abdelaziz]. But I told Ali last one year, doesn’t matter who call you never call me about fight. We have deal. Like, you know, directly with me, no one connect but I know with Ali connect some people from the UFC but you know it’s like I told already once and I told a lot of time all this people who try to bring me back, like I decide this 2020, October, It was my last fight, and I will never change this,” he said.
And the former lightweight champion also expressed his unhappiness at the UFC’s recent matchmaking, including for UFC 300, which he felt “made no sense” as it would negatively affect future match-ups and had introduced needless complications in two weight divisions.
‘Khabib’ puzzled by UFC’s recent matchmaking
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Khabib Nurmagomedov felt that the UFC 300 clash between former featherweight champion Max Holloway and BMF title-holder Justin Gaethje was not good matchmaking. ‘The Eagle’ said that Gaethje should have fought Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title, while Holloway should have been preparing to take on the new featherweight champion Ilia Topuria sometime this year.
Read More: Joe Rogan Handed Next Level MMA Game Plan as UFC Star Makes Groundbreaking ChatGPT Confession
Then, the winner of the UFC 300 lightweight title eliminator between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan should have fought the winner of Makhachev-Gaethje for the title. He felt that Holloway moving up a weight class and fighting Gaethje meant that Topuria was left without a clear opponent in the near future if Holloway lost, and strongly felt the UFC should have refrained from it and given Gaethje a title shot.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“Now Topuria, he’ll fight with who if Holloway loses? I don’t understand, no make sense why they don’t give Islam Justin Gaethje? Why they make him fight vs. Holloway,” the former champion asserted. What do you think about Khabib’s take on Gaethje-Holloway?