“Best in the World-” CM Punk and Sami Zayn React to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Historic Performance

Published 10/25/2020, 2:46 AM EDT

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Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from mixed martial arts after his win at UFC 254. Former WWE Champion CM Punk and current Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn were quick to show their respect for the fighter. Khabib fought Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254.

CM Punk praises Khabib; calls him The Best in the World

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The ‘Best in the World’ called Khabib the best in the world in his tweet. CM Punk’s UFC career did not exactly take off and he is now a commentator for Cage Fury Fighting Championships. Notably, Punk has been a Khabib fan since he beat Edson Barboza in 2017.

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CM Punk even offered his condolences to the Nurmagomedov family after Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap, passed away. He had contracted COVID-19 and his death came as a shock to Punk. He sent a heartfelt message to Khabib, showing that he clearly respects the Lightweight Champion a lot.

Sami Zayn praises Khabib Nurmagomedov

WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn also praised Khabib on Twitter. He declared Khabib as a ‘worthy hero for Muslims worldwide’. He commended the Russian’s faith in Islam and praised him for being unapologetic about backing his success with his faith.

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Khabib and Sami Zayn are very similar in terms of what they stand for, and how they are represented. Neither are represented as anti-American heroes and are even loved by fans worldwide. Sami was the lovable underdog in NXT and Khabib was the underdog in his fight against Conor McGregor.

The Lightweight Champion’s retirement announcement comes as a shock to the world of MMA and to UFC fans. In a span of three years, he became the biggest UFC star in the world. His win against McGregor was the most viewed UFC fight ever, and it launched him into the stratosphere.

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He will be a name on the tips of many-a-tongue in the conversation of who is the greatest UFC Champion of the 2010s.

 

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Written by:

Nathan Fulgado

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Nathan Fulgado is a WWE and AEW author at EssentiallySports. Having published close to 1000 professional wrestling articles, Nathan is currently pursuing his Journalism degree from Xavier's College. He has previously worked at Free Press Journal as a local journalist.
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