After UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov lost his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to COVID-19 complications in 2020, the Russian star stepped up to continue his father’s legacy as coach. He managed the business, oversaw his father’s wrestling school in Dagestan, and guided his teammates and cousins, showing that he is not only a legendary fighter but also a capable mentor and leader.

At the same time, ‘The Eagle’ expanded into multiple business ventures, including MMA promotions, supplements, and real estate. Recently, however, Khabib sparked global attention and some controversy with his latest entrepreneurial move. He now offers papakha hats and a new line of digital collectibles through his Telegram group, which he promoted on X.

He said, “My father passed this down to me. Now, I want to pass this down to you. I am giving away 8 signed Papakha’s in honor of my Telegram Digital Collectible Gifts. To win, all you have to do is: Download Telegram, subscribe to my Telegram Channel, repost this post to your story with my Telegram channel link, and a screenshot of your bid on my Telegram Gift, and tag me. I will select the eight winners next week on Telegram and give all the winners a shoutout.”

For context, papakha hats are traditional sheepskin headwear commonly worn across the Caucasus mountain region. In his latest X post, Khabib Nurmagomedov urged his followers to participate in a social influencer challenge: follow his channel, repost his content, and take part to win a Papakha. While Nurmagomedov has already promoted cryptocurrency through ventures like MultiBank Group and MultiBank Khabib LLC, fans reacted cautiously to his latest project, as it used his late father to promote the campaign.

Khabib Nurmagomedov faces backlash over monetizing his father’s legacy

These days, Khabib Nurmagomedov travels extensively between countries and continents, while his teammates and cousins stay highly active. Just last month, his cousins Umar and Usman Nurmagomedov competed on UFC and PFL cards, and teammate Islam Makhachev fought last week at UFC 322. ‘The Eagle’ acts as a steady guiding force behind them.

However, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s promotion of an alleged crypto scam drew criticism from fans. In fact, one MMA fan slammed him, saying, “Khabib is disgracing his late father’s name to promote a crypto scam. This is actually the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen. Wow.” This is not the first time people have associated the Russian star’s name with crypto controversy. Back in 2023, “Crypto detective” Coffeezilla accused the MMA legend of a cryptocurrency scam linked to his new NFTs.

According to Khabib, the NFT collection would give fans access to his “private club” and the chance to mine Bitcoin. Despite the allegations, he still maintains his prominence in the Muslim world, though critics argue he leverages his popularity. For instance, one fan remarked, “Not his team’s first rodeo in crypto scams,” while another added, “Fighting isn’t ok with mommy but crypto scams are fine apparently.”

Adding to the scrutiny, some fans recalled Khabib Nurmagomedov’s past financial troubles with the Russian government. Last year, during a tax investigation, authorities seized his bank accounts, car, and certain properties, with a reported $3.4 million owed. Fortunately, he cleared his debts. Still, one fan commented, “Always been about money,” reflecting doubts about his financial motives. Another jokingly said, “Things must be really bad. We might actually see Khabib vs Conor 2 at the White House.”

Yet, many fans question whether Khabib Nurmagomedov needed to use his late father’s name to promote a business. For example, one fan asked, “Abdulmanap would be so embarrassed,” while another noted the effect on Team Khabib’s image, commenting, “Mask off ‘humble’ is gone.”

At the same time, crypto promotions have increasingly entered the MMA scene. For instance, just last year, middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev got involved in a scam when the coin he promoted, ‘SMASH,’ turned out to be a pump-and-dump scheme. What’s your take on this? Share your thoughts below.