The manager of Khabib Nurmagomedov says his fighter is the "highest-paid athlete in the UFC" after he agreed a new contract and a unification clash with Dustin Poirier.
Lightweight champion Nurmagomedov will fight for the first time since his victory over Conor McGregor in October 2018 when he faces interim title-holder Poirier in the headline act of UFC 242, which takes place in Dubai in September.
The Russian received a nine-month ban for his involvement in a post-fight brawl following his win against McGregor, but he is now preparing to return and can celebrate a lucrative new deal.
Khabib's manager, Ali Abdel-Aziz, was quoted by MMAFighting as saying: "We're extremely happy. We're well taken care of. We can't ask for any better. [It was the] easiest negotiation I ever did. It was fair, straight to the point. This is one of the biggest deals in UFC history.
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"The UFC stepped up. They gave us what we want and they made a good business decision on their behalf and they made us a partner. We are all partners. We are in it together on this.
"My opinion right now, Khabib is the pound-for-pound greatest fighter we've ever seen ... this is why he's the highest-paid athlete in the UFC today. Believe me. He's the highest-paid athlete in the UFC today.
"And I'm saying that again because I see everything. They showed me everything. Khabib is the highest-paid athlete in the UFC and we are happy. It's time to fight."
It’s signed! (C) @TeamKhabib vs (IC) @DustinPoirier is official for #UFC242!
— UFC (@ufc) June 4, 2019
Get your tickets & join us #InAbuDhabi https://t.co/d7ivYbEf6S pic.twitter.com/zEhhFtnaUP