It was a no-brainer for Khabib Nurmagomedov to partner with his longtime acquaintance Rizvan Magomedov when he decided to start a new fighting promotion – Eagle FC. However, it looks like Magomedov didn’t have the same thought process when he decided to go on a trip to Afghanistan without Nurmagomedov.
The ex-champion couldn’t hold back tears when he saw his partner’s IG post. Quick to respond, he tagged Magomedov in his story and let his emotion be known. He wrote,
“Rizvan Magomedov flew to Afghanistan without me…”
For the unversed, Afghanistan is ‘The Eagle’s’ favorite getaway place, and seeing Eagle FC’s CEO take on a trip without him was just too much for the gritty Dagestani to handle. While the central Asian country has its own culture, its rocky terrain and rough terrain are rather similar to that of Dagestan.
But what Nurmagomedov and Magomedov find fascinating is its people, the picturesque valleys, and of course the world-famous Afghani cuisine. And even though Magomedov was there strictly for business, the ex-UFC champion seemed to have been gripped with FOMO – the Fear Of Missing Out.
While the two have known each other for quite a long time, the two started working together in 2013, with both coming from the same part of the world and having that yearning for success. Previously Magomedov was Nurmagomedov’s agent when the wrestler had started climbing the UFC ranks.
Magomedov admits that he was one of the easiest clients to work with owing to his professionalism and transparency.
Credits: IMAGO / Russian Look
The bond quickly grew and Magomedov became an executive from an agent. Then in 2020, following his retirement from the UFC, Nurmagomedov bought the Russian promotion Gorilla Fighting Championship for a stealer price of $1 million. His efforts to bring world-class talents into the sport and to the forefront of the fight business could only be reimagined with Magomedov as the promotion’s CEO.
In a short span of time, the promotion has found its place in the fighting world, bringing in retired UFC fighters to give them another chance to shine. Much like Nurmagomedov, his CEO is also humble and straight with his business ideas. Speaking to Forbes in an exclusive, explained what promotions usually do wrong in the fight business.
Eagle FC CEO reveals the promotion’s biggest priority
Unlike any other business, running a fighting promotion successfully is a hard nut to crack. There are a lot of variables, from the fighters and their crews, the margin, and of course, the ardent fans who follow the sport religiously. As a promoter, you’ll have to be wary of all these and various other factors and ensure that the ship is sailing smoothly. Now that is something Magomedov says is not an easy job.
Over the last decade or so, Magomedov has studied the business models of different promotions and aims to build his “smartly.” Analyzing the failures and mistakes of other promotions, he says that marketing is one grey area most promotions overlook in selling fights. According to Forbes, he said,
“Many people sleep on this side, and this is their biggest mistake. Other organizations have had great fighters, great fights, but they don’t deliver the message to their audience.”
Building on it, Eagle FC prioritized marketing and went from 0 to 100 on Google Trends in just four days. Even their initial efforts were built around popular UFC names like Chael Sonnen, Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, etc all coming in to support Nurmagomedov in his new venture.
