Dana White has revealed Khabib Nurmagomedov has been in touch following Dustin Poirier's sensational UFC 257 KO of Conor McGregor and more — Fightful has your fix of all the UFC 257 fallout in one article.
Dana White reveals Khabib Nurmagomedov's intentions following UFC 257
Dana White has been trying to convince Khabib Nurmagomedov to return for one more fight, ideally against Conor McGregor. "The Eagle" had supposedly told White that he may return if any of the lightweights on UFC 257's card impressed him. White has always stated he wanted a rematch for Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor, with a video being revealed of him trying to coax the lightweight champion to rematch "The Notorious". White has revealed that unfortunately, we may have seen the last of Nurmagomedov in the Octagon.
“I did talk to Khabib. He said to me, ‘Dana be honest with yourself. I’m so many levels above these guys. I beat these guys.’ I don’t know," White admitted to the media post-UFC 257 (h/t lowkickmma). "I don’t know what he’s (thinking) but it doesn’t sound very positive so we’ll see. And what he said was, ‘I told you guys before he won’t hold the division up.’ I mean, he already retired. He is basically retired. I’m the one who has been trying to get him to do one more.”
Conor McGregor's foes take shots at him following UFC 257 loss
Conor McGregor has made a few enemies on his route to international stardom. And following his knockout loss to Dustin Poirier, Floyd Mayweather and Paulie Malignaggi have taken their shots at "The Notorious".
Good night everyone pic.twitter.com/MhQWZXNRxE
— Paul Malignaggi (@PaulMalignaggi) January 24, 2021
One man who has taken the high ground is Manny Pacquiao. McGregor himself has teased a fight with Pacquiao with the pair both having the same manager.
Beautiful thing about the fight game, anything can happen! Congrats to @DustinPoirier Huge win! #UFC257
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) January 24, 2021
Michael Chandler's debut impresses Dana White
Michael Chandler needed just one round in the Octagon to prove he belongs with the elite MMA fighters. Chandler TKO'd Dan hooker in round one at UFC 257 and earned much acclaim for his magnificent performance. White was one of those impressed with Chandler and praised him in the press conference post-UFC 257
"When guys come into the UFC for the first time, they usually have a rough first time in the big stage. He didn't. He came out and it almost seemed like Hooker froze in that first round," White said to the media following UFC 257. "And Chandler was just all over him and put on an incredible performance. Listen, man, when you get the platform that we had tonight, you make the most of it and that kid did."
Amanda Nunes reacts to Julianna Pena callout
Julianna Pena earned an impressive win over veteran Sara McMann and used her time in the spotlight to challenge reigning bantamweight and featherweight champion, Amanda Nunes. Pena accused Nunes of ducking her and questioned why she would face Meagan Anderson at UFC 259.
“I just beat the best wrestler in the division. I have some news, Amanda Nunes I want to fight you. This girl is fighting a girl that only has three wins," questioned Pena (h/t BJPenn.com). "Nobodies had a tougher road in the UFC except for me, and I want to fight Amanda so quit ducking. That’s my fight.”
Nunes didn't agree with Pena's statement and said that the Venezuelan isn't a "contender" for her.
Ducking? You couldn’t even make yourself a contender for me. @VenezuelanVixen #UFC257
— Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) January 24, 2021
UFC 257 bonuses
Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler were rewarded for their epic knockouts by earning $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses. With no Fight of the Night awarded, Makhmud Muradov, for his TKO of Andrew Sanchez, and Marina Rodriguez, who TKO'd Amanda Ribas, also picked up Performance of the Night awards.
Khabib Nurmagomedov mocks Conor McGregor, McGregor responds
In an uncharacteristic move, Khabib Nurmagomedov took to Twitter to take aim at Conor McGregor following his loss to Dustin Poirier. Nurmagomedov and McGregor have a storied past and "The Eagle" very rarely feels the need to comment on "The Notorious" since he submitted him at UFC 229.
This is what happened, when you change your team, leave the sparring partners who made you a champion and sparring with little kids, far away from reality.
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 24, 2021
McGregor was informed of this during the UFC 257 press conference and didn't take kindly to Nurmagomedov's comments.
"My team has been the team since day one, I've not changed anything. It is what it is, respect the athletes - and that's the character of the man behind the mask," stated McGregor (h/t Irish Mirror). "What does he want to do? Does he want to come back or not?"
Conor McGregor on why he lost to Dustin Poirier, believes trilogy fight will be a "blockbuster"
Conor McGregor takes a loss better than most and didn't seem too disgruntled with his loss to Dustin Poirier. Poirier implemented a smart strategy of attacking McGregor's lead leg and this paid dividends in the outcome, with McGregor claiming his leg was "dead".
“You know, it’s hard to overcome inactivity over long periods of time and that’s just it. The leg kicks were good, that low calf kick was very good, my leg was dead and I just wasn’t as comfortable as I needed to be," McGregor claimed (h/t PunditArena). "It’s inactivity and that’s it but Dustin is some fighter. If you put in the time in here, you get cozy in here but I have to dust it off and come back and that’s what I will do."
McGregor then took to Instagram to show his appreciation to his supporting fans and claimed that he is "excited at the blockbuster trilogy" he now has on his hands with "The Diamond".
UFC 257 Estimated Pay Figures Revealed
The Sports Daily has released an estimate of pay that UFC 257 fighters will receive following the event. They do stress that "most international athletic commissions don’t release fighter pay info, so none of the following salary data for the event is official."
Conor McGregor: $5,020,000 ($5,000,000 to show, $20,000 fight week incentive pay) *(probably making in the $25+ million range including bonuses)*
Dustin Poirier: $1,070,000 ($1,000,000 to show, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $20,000 fight week incentive pay)
Michael Chandler: $253,500 ($100,000 to show, $100,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $3,500 fight week incentive pay)
Brad Tavares: $187,000 ($86,000 to show, $86,000 win bonus, $15,000 fight week incentive pay)
Dan Hooker: $125,000 ($110,000 to show, $15,000 fight week incentive pay)
Joanne Calderwood: $120,000 ($55,000 to show, $55,000 win bonus, $10,000 fight week incentive pay)
Julianna Pena: $95,000 ($45,000 to show, $45,000 win bonus, $5,000 fight week incentive pay)
Marina Rodriguez: $95,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $5,000 fight week incentive pay)
Makhmud Muradov: $93,500 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $3,500 fight week incentive pay)
Nik Lentz: $87,000 ($67,000 to show, $20,000 fight week incentive pay)
Jessica Eye: $61,000 ($51,000 to show, $10,000 fight week incentive pay)
Khalil Rountree Jr.: $55,000 ($50,000 to show, $5,000 fight week incentive pay)
Antonio Carlos Junior: $52,000 ($42,000 to show, $10,000 fight week incentive pay)
Sara McMann: $50,000 ($40,000 to show, $10,000 fight week incentive pay)
Movsar Evloev: $44,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 win bonus, $4,000 fight week incentive pay)
Arman Tsarukyan: $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 win bonus, $4,000 fine for missing weight, $4,000 fight week incentive pay)
Andrew Sanchez: $39,000 ($34,000 to show, $5,000 fight week incentive pay)
Amanda Ribas: $35,000 ($30,000 to show, $3,500 fight week incentive pay)
Matt Frevola: $28,000 ($20,000 to show, $4,000 from Tsarukyan for missing weight, $4,000 fight week incentive pay)
Amir Albazi: $27,500 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 win bonus, $3,500 fight week incentive pay)
Marcin Prachnio: $24,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 win bonus, $4,000 fight week incentive pay)
Zhalgas Zhumagulov: $13,500 ($10,000 to show, $3,500 fight week incentive pay)
Fightful has all of your MMA needs covered. Follow us on Twitter for updates, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, lists, news updates, and predictions.