Khabib Nurmagomedov’s salary for his upcoming title defense at UFC 242 is expected to be upward of $6 million, his father has stated.

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Nurmagomedov returns to action in the main event of UFC 242 this Saturday in Abu Dhabi. The undefeated Russian lightweight will face the interim champion, Dustin Poirier, in a title unification bout.

The 30-year-old has been away from the Octagon ever since his fourth-round submission victory against Conor McGregor in October last year. The disclosed purse for that title defense at UFC 229 was $2 million flat (no win bonus). McGregor walked away with a disclosed payout of $3 million flat for that event.

Now just two days out from Nurmagomedov’s second title defense at UFC 242, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov has indicated that his son is expected to receive a significantly improved payday this time around.

“This time, it [the purse] will be 3-3.5-fold higher,” Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov told TASS. “We aren’t fighting for peanuts and we know our value.

“That sum [of $2 million] is too little for us because we are the best at the moment. We have defeated the best and are ready to keep fighting with the best.”

Poirier’s disclosed payday for his UFC 236 win over Max Holloway was $250,000 flat (no win bonus), suggesting that there may be a considerable difference between the main event payouts at UFC 242 if Abdulmanap’s indications are correct.

“We are also popular and we know it,” Abdulmanap said. “When we enter the arena [on Saturday night], you will see for yourself how the audience will greet Poirier and how [they’ll greet] Khabib.”

The UFC 242 pay-per-view main card streams live from Abu Dhabi at a special time this Saturday, September 7, on ESPN+ from 2 p.m. ET.