UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has backed his friend Kamaru Usman in trying to secure a fight with Canelo Alvarez.
Welterweight champion Usman is pushing hard to fight pound-for-pound No.1 Alvarez. The UFC star wants to defend his belt against Leon Edwards next and ditch his 4oz gloves to step in the ring against boxing's biggest star.
The pair engaged in a Twitter spat this week after Usman's manager accused Alvarez of being a "chicken" and picking easy fights. Now-retired Nurmagomedov has urged Usman to keep pushing for a fight with the Mexican.
"Let's go, brother, now is your time," Nurmagomedov wrote to Usman on Instagram. The pair are good friends and share the same manager in Ali Abdelaziz, who is the head of the management label Dominance MMA.
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Alvarez, who moved back up to light heavyweight next weekend to fight Dmitry Bivol, thinks Usman is in seek of a quick payday and wants to focus on building his boxing legacy for now. Usman criticised the Mexican for "hiding" from a fight and questioned the legitimacy of his world titles.
"Our fans know who the best is because “the best fight the best” not run and hide and fight nobody’s with those plastic belts & call themselves “super champion”," Usman wrote. "Keep quiet next time and if you need lessons on how to save that dying sport let me know I’ve got Dana on speed dial."
Nurmagomedov retired from fighting after submitting Justin Gaethje in the final defence of his UFC lightweight title two years ago. UFC boss Dana White tried his best to lure him into a second fight with Conor McGregor, but Nurmagomedov promised his mother to not fight again following the death of his father.
The Russian was linked to his own mega-money fight after calling out boxing legend Floyd Mayweather. Abdelaziz claims the UFC star was offered $100million to box Mayweather, but he kept to the promise he made his mother and turned the huge sum down.
"I never fight for money," Nurmagomedov said on the Hotboxin' podcast. "Money is good, but most of the time it is bad. Money brings you to the situation that you have never been and you don't know how to act when you have so much money. It is a little bit dangerous. In this business, I don't come to make money. I come here for legacy."
