Javier Mendez wants Khabib vs. Conor rematch at Cowboys Stadium
Javier Mendez: “Now’s the time to strike while the iron is hot, I say Cowboys Stadium. That would do the pay-per-view numbers; that would do everything.”
AKA founder Javier Mendez appeared recently on Off The Brawl and discussed what’s next for one of his greatest fighters ever, one of the greatest fighters ever, Khabib Nurmagomedov. UFC president Dana White wants a rematch with Conor McGregor, in 2019. But what will actually happen is complex.
Khabib may very well have one idea, and I’ll have something else, which is usually the case,” explained Mendez, as transcribed by Peter Carroll for MMA Fighting. “But the person with the best thoughts on what Khabib’s going to do is his father. Nobody else has that closeness to him. After his father, it’s me or Ali [Abdelaziz], or me and Ali. But as far as what he wants to do, it’s going to come down to basically what Khabib wants. It might not matter what the UFC wants with the Conor and Khabib rematch.
I look at this as more of a prizefight than I do sport. I want the biggest prizefight and the biggest prizefight hands down is, there’s no comparison, it’s Conor. Obviously, I want a rematch, because that’s what it is, the biggest prizefight, right? Because of what happened the last time there’s more interest on the second one, there’s a rematch to be had. For me, I would rather have that.
That’s the biggest money fight in MMA bar none. There is nobody in MMA that can bring that kind of money that Khabib and Conor can in the rematch. That’s the reason I would want that, but Khabib may want a different thing, Khabib may want Tony [Ferguson]. It’s hard to say because Jan. 29th hasn’t happened. We don’t know what [NAC] are going to do, how long they’ll be suspended, how much money…but from my point of view I would want the rematch for the prizefight. It’s bigger, it’s three or four times as much.
So would the fight be stadium-level?
Now’s the time, to be honest with you, said Mendes. We don’t know with Conor, he’s so rich with his Proper 12. I hear it’s doing fantastic. He’s got a great image, bro. He appears to be a helluva businessman. Now’s the time to strike while the iron is hot, I say Cowboys Stadium. That would do the pay-per-view numbers; that would do everything. I think now is the time to consider doing something like that. It would be the right place for a stadium show. Vegas would be the right place if they built the Raiders stadium in time, but that won’t be built in time.