Khabib Nurmagomedov managed to steal the show again, despite being ringside during the PFL title fight on Saturday between his protege, Usman Nurmagomedov and Irishman, Paul Hughes. Khabib stepped away from his seat to take a picture with a young fan in the stands. This small yet thoughtful gesture set social media abuzz, with fans comparing him to Cristiano Ronaldo for his humility and charm.
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Reactions poured in, praising Khabib as “the CR7 of MMA,” with one fan declaring, “Absolute class act… always the champ.”
Others chimed in, reiterating how Cristiano also always found time for young fans and said, “UFC Ronaldo version”. Others hailed the UFC veteran for being a role model and said, “Khabib is champ outside of the cage too.”
Even those skeptical of him found themselves swayed, as one fan noted, “But somehow, some way, half of the MMA community wants me to hate this guy ’cause he’s a ‘bad person.’”
UFC fans praising Khabib Nurmagomedov pic.twitter.com/3CFN7NyEuN
— THE UFCGUY (@the_ufcguy) January 26, 2025
It is not just Khabib who deserves the credit for this wholesome moment. In fact, it was the MMA legend Renzo Gracie who approached the former UFC champion and asked him to take a photo with the kid.
Khabib also won hearts with his speech after Usman’s win as he called for peace between passionate Irish and Dagestani MMA fans. It was an interesting statement since Khabib had recently claimed, probably as part of some mind games before the Hughes-Usman clash, that the levels of MMA in Ireland were not comparable to that of Dagestan.
️ Khabib Nurmagomedov: “Ireland don’t have fighters brother. Let’s be honest. How many fighters do you know from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor [McGregor], and who else?…
Dagestan level of MMA here, but Ireland level not even half.”
@PFLMMApic.twitter.com/tlQXoyMPwh
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 2, 2025
But the head of the Nurmagomedov clan believes that the Irish-Dagestani rivalry should remain within the octagon, not outside. He expressed his love for Ireland for reasons beyond MMA, which could surely pacify a lot of fans in the country and win him some more respect.
It could have also been a masterstroke from Khabib seeing the backlash Conor received for his insulting comments towards Dagestani fighters. But Khabib’s perspective could influence people in the right way and bolster not just his image, but that of Usman, the Nurmagomedov family as well as Dagestan to the world.
