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Nurmagomedov's father and mentor, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, is "interested" in a rematch and would even concede a massive advantage to McGregor.
Abdulamanap is ready to explore a fight away from mixed martial arts, which would mean his son Khabib would not be able to engage in any grappling, wrestling, or ground-and-pound strategies — techniques that proved so successful at UFC 229. Instead, Abdulamanap is interested in a rematch fought using boxing rules.
Nurmagomedov has been linked with a boxing fight against the unbeaten prizefighter Floyd Mayweather, a retired boxer who lifted world titles in five weight classes during an illustrious career. Mayweather even said "oh, we fighting," when asked about a possible Nurmagomedov bout in October.
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Competing in a boxing ring is something Nurmagomedov is clearly interested in, and Abdulamanap's recent comments have only furthered the legitimacy of this pursuit.
"Nurmagomedov is able to do it in the boxing ring," Abdulamanap said. "Khabib has all the skills to win by the rules of boxing. One of the key skills can be called endurance."
He added: "I remember his five round fight with Iaquinta, in which Khabib showed his willingness to fight in absolutely any area, using everything from a light left jab to control on the ground. I want to note that the fight with Iaquinta was of great importance for us, there was a title belt at stake and it was important to keep the bout calm, and take the win. Which we did."
Combat sports website BloodyElbow.com said the prospect of a boxing match between the two UFC fighters "isn't so far fetched" when you consider the boxing promotion Zuffa Boxing is a fledgling UFC organisation.
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Additionally, Nurmagomedov's meeting with the Russian Boxing Federation, together with McGregor's own ambitions in the sport, mean this could be something the UFC explores in the near future.
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