Media Khabib - "Giving Me $100 Million to Beat Up That Idiot Again? I Don't Think That's Rational"

[Khaiser]

Very merciful from Khabib.

He made Conor his bitch last time.

Had we been living in different times he could’ve literally walked away having permanently damaged Conor, or even worse. It was a small mercy on Khabib’s part that he didn’t do this, and shows the stature of the man. I’m not sure he would be so kind a second time around.

He did exactly what he said he would do, and humbled Conor.

He now keeps Conor’s balls under his papakha.

 

[Cindynice420]

"Dana White is determined to set up your rematch with McGregor, he said it many times, What's your take on it?"

Khabib:
"I Have a fight on April 18th, A very serious fight.

For the past month and a half i've been consistently training day and night. I've gotten myself in good shape, to where i'm supposed to be 70 days before a fight. I feel great. What'll happen after a fight no one knows.

I don't worry about it, that's what they want. I'm surprised that people even question me about a rematch. It seems that people want to continue the festivities after the fight.

Everyone saw what happened in the octogon. I controlled the fight every step of the way. I did everything I wanted with him, he even gave up.

How can we even discuss a rematch? We can only talk about continuing the festivities and making money. The question is: Do I want that? I am focused on Tony Ferguson."

"Are you interested?"

Khabib:
Not at all.

(Crowd laughter + Clapping)

"What if you're offered $100 million?"

Khabib:
"Why do I need that kind of money, there are so many organizations for example, there's not only football for the blind, there's Sambo and other sports. Let UFC give it to them, if they don't know what to do with the money. But giving me $100 million for me to beat up that idiot again? I don't think that's rational.

YepHe’s terrified of Conor

 

[Rampage_Jackson]

Khabib is lame as shit lol

 

[IrritatedTomcat]

That’s very disappointing.
I believe Khabib smashes him again, but does he?

This will be spun into a “win” for him but turning down 100M to fight someone you would smash is about as stupid as you can get.

though I’m sure the money he has made so far goes ALOT further in Dagestan. He may be set for generations with that. I’m not kidding, it’s just cheaper there.


also:
Tony is gonna scar him up win or lose.

 

[IrritatedTomcat]

Khabib is lame as shit lol

You’re not wrong, but many will say how “badass” he is for turning it down, I see it as foolish.
100M to smash a guy you already have and likely would again?
Foolish.

 

[Dave Poodle]

Sorry but no. Conor is #3 in the rankings, and coming off a 40 second obliteration of #5.

Literally the only thing you can argue is that Khabib should instead fight #4 Gaethje FIRST. Saying he should skip Conor entirely would mean advocating for #6 Felder getting a title shot. Which is obviously retarded. But even if you say Gaethje should be FIRST, that doesn't mean that Conor couldn't get a shot NOW.

If this wasn't Conor, there would never be a situation where people would argue a champ should skip #3 in his rankings when he's coming off a top 5 win. Top 5 guys don't need to go fight #14, #7, etc., again.

It's called the Fitch treatment. After he was demolished by GSP he was deating everyone else but they kept moving people below him into title shots

 

[Khaiser]

You’re not wrong, but many will say how “badass” he is for turning it down, I see it as foolish.
100M to smash a guy you already have and likely would again?
Foolish.

That’s because you’re looking at it purely from a monetary perspective.

From a legacy perspective, beating Conor again makes almost no difference whatsoever. He’s currently scheduled to fight the best lightweights on the planet not named Khabib, in a much higher risk, less financially rewarding fight. Why would he do this? Because it makes a very significant impact on how he’ll be remembered when he hangs up the gloves.

He probably has 2/3 fights at most after Ferguson. The absolute best way to end his career from a legacy perspective would be to beat Ferguson, and then move up and capture the welterweight title. Doing that would put him in contention for the GOAT spot.

Fighting Conor is simply a case of been there and done that in emphatic fashion. The only way this changes is if Conor actively makes it change by fighting and beating other top contenders.

 

[IrritatedTomcat]

That’s because you’re looking at it purely from a monetary perspective.

From a legacy perspective, beating Conor again makes almost no difference whatsoever. He’s currently scheduled to fight the best lightweights on the planet not named Khabib, in a much higher risk, less financially rewarding fight. Why would he do this? Because it makes a very significant impact on how he’ll be remembered when he hangs up the gloves.

He probably has 2/3 fights at most after Ferguson. The absolute best way to end his career from a legacy perspective would be to beat Ferguson, and then move up and capture the welterweight title. Doing that would put him in contention for the GOAT spot.

Fighting Conor is simply a case of been there and done that in emphatic fashion. The only way this changes is if Conor actively makes it change by fighting and beating other top contenders.

I get what you’re saying but two wins over Conor when nobody has beaten him twice is a nice feather and yeah the 2/3 fights after Tony is why he can’t be GOAT. Maybe GOAT LW until someone gets more title defenses but winning your title from Al isn’t a huge feather... and by 5 round decision too...

Khabib has about 4 quality wins.
Undefeated record is cool but most of his opponents were scrubs or lower to mid level talent. He really hasn’t beaten that many elite guys. I like Khabib but he has a small fraction of good wins compared to GSP, Silva or Bones.


If you can name more than 5 then lmk
1. RDA
2. Barboza
3. Conor
4. Dustin
5. Tony if he wins.

find me more. Please.
He’s a very impressive fighter but if he retires after a few more fights then he is FAR from GOAT.

edit: I am in no way saying Conor has a better legacy lol btw.
That argument is purely about khabib vs. other “GOAT” contenders

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

"What if you're offered $100 million?"
Khabib: "Why do I need that kind of money

Or, you could do this easy work again, cash the check, and use the proceeds to do all sorts of wonderful things for those charities.

I always find that to be such a weak cop out from athletes, particularly those who came from poor neighborhoods or regions. No, I guess you don’t give a shit about another _____ dollars, but you could buy a house for a poor family with it and change their life. In this case (not that Khabib himself would actually get paid $100M) you’re talking about enough capital to rebuild a decent sized town.

I think there’s a good argument that anyone blessed with a window to earn that kind of money has an ethical obligation to take advantage of it while it’s open for the sake of the people and causes he can help with it.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

I get what you’re saying but two wins over Conor when nobody has beaten him twice is a nice feather and yeah the 2/3 fights after Tony is why he can’t be GOAT. Maybe GOAT LW until someone gets more title defenses but winning your title from Al isn’t a huge feather... and by 5 round decision too...

Khabib has about 4 quality wins.
Undefeated record is cool but most of his opponents were scrubs or lower to mid level talent. He really hasn’t beaten that many elite guys. I like Khabib but he has a small fraction of good wins compared to GSP, Silva or Bones.

If you can name more than 5 then lmk
1. RDA
2. Barboza
3. Conor
4. Dustin
5. Tony if he wins.

find me more. Please.
He’s a very impressive fighter but if he retires after a few more fights then he is FAR from GOAT.

edit: I am in no way saying Conor has a better legacy lol btw.
That argument is purely about khabib vs. other “GOAT” contenders

Overall, I agree. But you have to consider more than just the names of the wins on the resume.

One factor is the losses. Khabib might not have the same quantity and quality of wins that GSP has, but he also never panic-tapped against Hughes or got knocked out by Matt Serra (or for that matter been fortunate to escape with W’s against Penn and Hendricks). I’m sure Khabib could rattle off another 5-6 good wins if we told him he could have a mulligan in the event that he accidentally got murked by a TUF winner. This is also what makes Jones such a great GOAT candidate. (Silva obviously has losses coming up and losses on the back-end.)

A second is dominance, which isn’t as relevant as losses since it’s tough to become a GOAT candidate without being dominant. Nevertheless, even at Anderson’s peak we saw guys like Lutter, Sonnen and to a lesser extent Henderson put him in some compromising positions. GSP had the aforementioned struggles against Hendricks and Penn, but was otherwise very similar to Khabib, in both style and substance.

One thing that some may choose to ask is whether or not we care that Khabib is basically doing it by eliminating one of the dimensions of the fight game. GSP did the same eventually, but also had several big wins via strikes. Silva was a little more one-dimensional, but you could certainly never say that he was relying on the rules of the sport to avoid a “true fight.” Jones of course has it all, and the would probably still win if his opponents were allowed to rewrite the rulebook five minutes before the fight.

 

[Coconutwater]

Or, you could do this easy work again, cash the check, and use the proceeds to do all sorts of wonderful things for those charities.

I always find that to be such a weak cop out from athletes, particularly those who came from poor neighborhoods or regions. No, I guess you don’t give a shit about another _____ dollars, but you could buy a house for a poor family with it and change their life. In this case (not that Khabib himself would actually get paid $100M) you’re talking about enough capital to rebuild a decent sized town.

I think there’s a good argument that anyone blessed with a window to earn that kind of money has an ethical obligation to take advantage of it while it’s open for the sake of the people and causes he can help with it.

Not if it helps an agenda, like promoting Connor as a great adversary, when he was beaten easily.

 

[IrritatedTomcat]

Overall, I agree. But you have to consider more than just the names of the wins on the resume.

One factor is the losses. Khabib might not have the same quantity and quality of wins that GSP has, but he also never panic-tapped against Hughes or got knocked out by Matt Serra (or for that matter been fortunate to escape with W’s against Penn and Hendricks). I’m sure Khabib could rattle off another 5-6 good wins if we told him he could have a mulligan in the event that he accidentally got murked by a TUF winner. This is also what makes Jones such a great GOAT candidate. (Silva obviously has losses coming up and losses on the back-end.)

A second is dominance, which isn’t as relevant as losses since it’s tough to become a GOAT candidate without being dominant. Nevertheless, even at Anderson’s peak we saw guys like Lutter, Sonnen and to a lesser extent Henderson put him in some compromising positions. GSP had the aforementioned struggles against Hendricks and Penn, but was otherwise very similar to Khabib, in both style and substance.

One thing that some may choose to ask is whether or not we care that Khabib is basically doing it by eliminating one of the dimensions of the fight game. GSP did the same eventually, but also had several big wins via strikes. Silva was a little more one-dimensional, but you could certainly never say that he was relying on the rules of the sport to avoid a “true fight.” Jones of course has it all, and the would probably still win if his opponents were allowed to rewrite the rulebook five minutes before the fight.

Oh, skillwise, he’s one of the GOAT!!!
he is dominate, I am not questioning his skill or heart etc.

I’m simply saying...
Quality of wins >>> undefeated
Record title defenses >>> Being undefeated
Winning the title from the champ
>>>>>>>>
Winning it from Al.


Again; this is not to question how good Khabib is, just that he will not be GOAT, but more of a “what if” if he retires in a few fights.


Being undefeated is awesome but quality of opponents matters.

 

[EVIL WAR GOD]

Khabib is shook

 

[Khaiser]

I get what you’re saying but two wins over Conor when nobody has beaten him twice is a nice feather and yeah the 2/3 fights after Tony is why he can’t be GOAT. Maybe GOAT LW until someone gets more title defenses but winning your title from Al isn’t a huge feather... and by 5 round decision too...

Khabib has about 4 quality wins.
Undefeated record is cool but most of his opponents were scrubs or lower to mid level talent. He really hasn’t beaten that many elite guys. I like Khabib but he has a small fraction of good wins compared to GSP, Silva or Bones.


If you can name more than 5 then lmk
1. RDA
2. Barboza
3. Conor
4. Dustin
5. Tony if he wins.

find me more. Please.
He’s a very impressive fighter but if he retires after a few more fights then he is FAR from GOAT.

edit: I am in no way saying Conor has a better legacy lol btw.
That argument is purely about khabib vs. other “GOAT” contenders

If it wasn’t Conor though, and let’s face it, he’s afforded very special treatment the UFC, there would be no talk of ‘beating him twice’. Rematches are usually reserved for a very contentious decision, or on the rarer occasions a fighter having demonstrated a significant improvement (having earned it). Rematch if someone you’ve already beaten convincingly, and has done nothing of note since is a bit ‘shrugs shoulders’ if you remove the Conor hype.


I always discount Jones because of the PED issues. To me, he’s a certified cheat who completely transformed his physique using steroids. If MMA was a more legitimate sport, he would be disregarded from any discussions as the GOAT and treated as a pariah.

For me, the goats GSP and Khabib would have a hard time replacing him, although it’s not impossible. His undefeated streak may not brimming with big names, but consistency does count. MMA is one of those sports where even the best guys have usually picked up a few losses along the way somewhere against lesser opponents, and the fact that Khabib hasn’t is very impressive in itself.

I think if he was to beat Tony, move up to welterweight and beat the likes of Usman, Masvidal and Colby, then I do t see how he couldn’t be in contention for the GOAT position. Big ask, not what I think he will do, but that’s the ‘legacy’ route imo, and it doesnt involve Conor.

 

[deman]

10 years undeafeated and no rematch, always blew my mind, blatant hypocrisy. thats what the ufc is of course, but even so

LOL, did anybody ever consult Aldo about this? The man hasnt exactly been begging to fight McGregor since that day.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

Oh, skillwise, he’s one of the GOAT!!!
he is dominate, I am not questioning his skill or heart etc.

I’m simply saying...
Quality of wins >>> undefeated
Record title defenses >>> Being undefeated
Winning the title from the champ
>>>>>>>>
Winning it from Al.

Again; this is not to question how good Khabib is, just that he will not be GOAT, but more of a “what if” if he retires in a few fights.

Being undefeated is awesome but quality of opponents matters.

Yea, I think all of that is valid.

I don’t think we can deduct points for winning the vacant title over Al though. The other guys who could have conceivably held the title when Khabib reached challenger status were RDA, Alvarez, McGregor and Tony. He defended against McGregor and will do so versus Ferguson shortly. If he wins that fight I don’t think there’s anything left to be said about the way he won the title. The Iaquinta fight is basically his Dan Hardy/Patrick Cote/Anthony Smith defense, he just happened to have it in his first title fight.

Otherwise I don’t disagree. Khabib needs more title defenses to be in the GOAT debate as a serious candidate. If he beats, for example, Tony, Gaethje and McGregor again, I think he will have checked that box. At that point he would be wise to do something like take a welterweight fight against someone like Masvidal (or whoever is at that level a couple years from now).

Ultimately though he’s going to fall short of Jon Jones. Jones has everything Khabib has and much more. The only argument against Jones as GOAT is the PEDs.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

LOL, did anybody ever consult Aldo about this? The man hasnt exactly been begging to fight McGregor since that day.

I think that’s incorrect but I can’t say that for sure of course having not been behind the scenes. Dana always gave the impression that Aldo badly wanted the rematch and felt his deserved it but that Conor had moved on. That rings true to me. Aldo is no coward.

 

[DemHands]

"No rematch for you!"
Conor getting a taste of his own medicine lmao.

 

[IrritatedTomcat]

Yea, I think all of that is valid.

I don’t think we can deduct points for winning the vacant title over Al though. The other guys who could have conceivably held the title when Khabib reached challenger status were RDA, Alvarez, McGregor and Tony. He defended against McGregor and will do so versus Ferguson shortly. If he wins that fight I don’t think there’s anything left to be said about the way he won the title. The Iaquinta fight is basically his Dan Hardy/Patrick Cote/Anthony Smith defense, he just happened to have it in his first title fight.

Otherwise I don’t disagree. Khabib needs more title defenses to be in the GOAT debate as a serious candidate. If he beats, for example, Tony, Gaethje and McGregor again, I think he will have checked that box. At that point he would be wise to do something like take a welterweight fight against someone like Masvidal (or whoever is at that level a couple years from now).

Ultimately though he’s going to fall short of Jon Jones. Jones has everything Khabib has and much more. The only argument against Jones as GOAT is the PEDs.

Which is a valid argument lol


I don’t take away points for the Al fight, I just don’t give it to him as an elite win.

 

[deman]

I think that’s incorrect but I can’t say that for sure of course having not been behind the scenes. Dana always gave the impression that Aldo badly wanted the rematch and felt his deserved it but that Conor had moved on. That rings true to me. Aldo is no coward.

He certainly isn't but he didnt step in when RDA pulled out, & I genuinely havent heard many direct quotes from him ever clamouring for a rematch