As much as I want to see Tony vs Khabib, Tony vs Nate is just as interesting. Both of them are big LW that never back up and both of them have a slick ground game. Both are rarely in a boring fight.
Do it for the interim belt with the winner fighting Conor. Conor wants the trilogy with Nate and if Nate is the interim champ, it makes that fight even bigger than before. If Tony wins, there can be no doubts about who deserves to be next in line.
Khabib blew his shot and even though Tony pulled out of their 2nd scheduled fight, it wasn't for an interim title (the real title in most people's eyes) and it wasn't as primed as the 209 fight was. If I was Tony I'd genuinely be apprehensive about having to go through all of that again. The chances of Nate pulling out are next to nothing.
Tony deserves to get his shot asap. Get Nate in there before it's too late. Nate himself is losing precious time to capitalise on his new found fame with casuals since the Conor fights. I know the last fight was in Aug (?) but people, especially casual MMA fans are quick to forget.
If Khabib thinks he can be ready before Ramadan, have him ready as a replacement or else have Nate ready if they make Tony vs Khabib.
In the words of the great Giga "thoughts on this UG?"
I know DC and AJ would love Nate on the card too as a co-main. Nate would have to get a cut of the PPV and should bank a couple of mil at least. If it's promoted right, that card could reach 1m PPV. It'd also be a great way for Nate to gauge how much of a draw he is. If it does do good numbers, he can really say "fuck you, pay me!" for the 3rd Conor fight. He will finally get that $20m he's been holding out for.
I dont think it's gonna happen, if Nate loses, there goes his third fight with McGreggor, although the UFC would probably love the idea of keeping Nate away as much as possible until McGreggor loses again.
The lead up to Nate vs Tfurg would be ridiculous though!
Raistlin - Nate got a taste of the big payday and will pretty much only fight Conor or for a title.
Yeah it would definitely be a risk on his part. If Tony whoops him for 5 rounds or even stops him, he doesn't have a lot of leverage. I still think a fight against Conor would happen somewhere down the line.
If he wins though, he's guaranteed a shot against Conor, he makes some money and stays active in the meantime and would then go on to make even more money in the Conor trilogy fight than before.
I think the most important thing for him is to keep active against high level competition. I know that may sound like a ridiculous statement to make considering how active Nate used to be as a fighter but he's getting towards the end of his career. He probably doesn't ever need to fight again after what he made from both Conor fights but he has the opportunity for maybe only another 3 years to make at least $1m per fight. I think he should strike while the iron is hot and the fans definitely want to see him back. A fight with him against Tony has always interested me style wise. Now would be the perfect time for it.
I dont think it's gonna happen, if Nate loses, there goes his third fight with McGreggor, although the UFC would probably love the idea of keeping Nate away as much as possible until McGreggor loses again.
The lead up to Nate vs Tfurg would be ridiculous though!
Sorry didn't see this post before, it was just blank before???? Maybe you were editing.
You're right though, as I said it's definitely a risk but I think the history and chemistry Conor and Nate have means that a trilogy will sell no matter what happens to either of them in their next fight.
I just think at this particular moment there's a demand to see Tony get his title shot and Nate to just fight again. Mix the two together and it has the makings of a FOTY. I always thought those 2 would make a great fight whether it was for a title or not. After the letdown that was 209, I think the UFC should splurge a bit and make it worth their while. They definitely deserve a big payday and the fans will happily pay to watch them fight.
I dont think it's gonna happen, if Nate loses, there goes his third fight with McGreggor, although the UFC would probably love the idea of keeping Nate away as much as possible until McGreggor loses again.
The lead up to Nate vs Tfurg would be ridiculous though!
Sorry didn't see this post before, it was just blank before???? Maybe you were editing.
You're right though, as I said it's definitely a risk but I think the history and chemistry Conor and Nate have means that a trilogy will sell no matter what happens to either of them in their next fight.
I just think at this particular moment there's a demand to see Tony get his title shot and Nate to just fight again. Mix the two together and it has the makings of a FOTY. I always thought those 2 would make a great fight whether it was for a title or not. After the letdown that was 209, I think the UFC should splurge a bit and make it worth their while. They definitely deserve a big payday and the fans will happily pay to watch them fight.
This forum software being a massive piece of shit let me accidentally click and make a blank post before I was even ready to start typing lol. I had to back and actually type the post.
Because Nate has a great style for Conor. His style doesn't translate to El Cucuy.
There is no chance that Nate takes that fight. He thinks that he will make more money against Conor also. I think that he makes more money against Tony. He is the main draw of those two and he would get a bigger piece of the pie.
But all it takes is one loss and there goes the Conor fight.