Khabib Nurmagomedov is inarguably one of the greatest lightweight fighters to grace the UFC octagon. The former UFC lightweight champion has an undefeated 29-0 professional MMA record under his name.
Apart from that, Nurmagomedov has several other achievements in the sport. He also has one of the highest honors in MMA, the UFC Hall of Famer. Despite such a success, ‘The Eagle’ has several times stated MMA wasn’t his first preference. The Russian fighter always loved football.
Khabib Nurmagomedov names his early footballing idols
Nurmagomedov has often times admitted his liking for football openly. Because of his popularity, the former UFC champion has good relations with notable footballers in the world, including the ex-Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Recently, ‘The Eagle’ sat in an interview for Class A Events in partnership with Penny Appeal Canada at Meridian Hall in Toronto. During the interview, the ex-UFC fighter talked about his career and a few other aspects.
When asked about his footballing idols, fans expected Nurmagomedov would say, Lionel Messi. However, he denied that and instead named the Real Madrid legends Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo Nazario as his childhood idols.
Further on, in the interview, when asked to choose between wrestling and football in a rapid-fire round, the former UFC champion quickly choose football, which shocked many fans.
‘The Eagle’ in coaching
Earlier Nurmagomedov and his friends used to train under his father Abdulmanap. But after he passed away, ‘The Eagle’ retired from the sport in 2020 and wore the coach’s hat.
Now the ex-UFC fighter trains his cousins and friends for their MMA careers. Under Nurmagomedov’s guidance, Islam Makhachev became the UFC lightweight champion, and Usman Nurmagomedov won the lightweight title at Bellator. Thus, it is sure that akin to his fighting career, Nurmagomedov is doing well in coaching too.
What are your thoughts on Nurmagomedov’s words? What do you guys think of his coaching career?
