An old throwback video recently surfaced on Twitter, reminding fans of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s early days when he dominated the mats at the 2012 NAGA Championships. In the clip, a young and playful Khabib can be seen after winning the final match, proudly holding his championship belt. With his trademark cheeky grin, he jokes about charging “50 rubles” for people to take pictures with him and the belt.
It’s a lighthearted moment that shows a glimpse of the Dagestani star’s personality long before he became the undefeated UFC champion we know today.
However, in the final of the 2012 NAGA Championships, Nurmagomedov faces a black belt and secures a win on time in the end. A fresh faced Khabib then comes over to the person filming the video who is unidentified, the person filming the video asks Khabib about his belt to which the Dagestani fighter says,
“You won’t take it away from me will you? We’re going to hang this belt on the wall at the gym. People will come to take pictures with it. It’s a good belt. 50 rubles, they have already taken pictures with the cup now we’re going to charge them. 50 rubles for taking pictures with this belt.”
“50 Rubles for a picture”
Throwback to Young Eagle @TeamKhabib mauling black belts at Naga fighter BJJ tournaments…
Do we still underappreciate how good Khabib’s pure grappling was?…
By the way… do you remember the original “Borz” in this video? pic.twitter.com/IiENzemvNN— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) September 11, 2024
‘The Eagle’ was dominating in the grappling circuits long before he became a world champion in Sambo and ultimately the UFC.
From an early age, the former UFC lightweight champion was forged by his father to be a hard working and respectful martial artist, qualities that he now instils in his pupils.
However, it was not always his dream to be a mixed martial artist, ‘the beautiful game’ being his first love.
Khabib’s love for soccer
Besides dominating opponents in the octagon, Khabib has a huge love for soccer. His passion for the sport is no secret, and he’s a die-hard fan of Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Growing up, Khabib dreamed of playing soccer professionally. He even got offers, like one from FC Kamaz in Russia, but it never materialized.
Recently, after a kickabout in the UAE, Khabib shared that he’s been chatting with none other than Cristiano Ronaldo about a possible soccer career!
In an interview with Match TV, he said, “Playing football professionally is my childhood dream. I’ve talked to everyone about it—even the UEFA president and the owner of PSG, and yes, Cristiano too!”. I
Once his career as a mixed martial artist came to an end, the Dagestani champion was seen many a time engaging in soccer games, traveling to famous stadiums in the world, watching games and meeting his soccer heroes. He still plays the beautiful game to this day!
