Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts today. He retired from active competition after successfully defending his UFC lightweight title against Justin Gaethje. He now has his own MMA organization, Eagle FC, and just its first event in the U.S.
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The Russian defeated some of the biggest names in the game during his time in the UFC. But none were bigger than Conor McGregor. After the ugly buildup to the fight, the victory over him was satisfying for Nurmagomedov. He also got a huge surprise after the victory. In a recent interview, he was asked about meeting Vladimir Putin for the first time.
He said, “Yeah, it was like, first time I meet 18, 2018. For me, it was like a surprise.”
However, the first time he ever talked to him was right after UFC 229. Things got ugly after Nurmagomedov defeated the Irishman. The Dagestan native jumped in the crowd and a huge brawl ensued. It was then that he received a call.
“After fight, he called me,” Nurmagomedov said. “I remember I was in locker room. Everything what happened, the police come, they put us in locker room, like 300 police come… My phone was off and I remember Islam’s phone was on. They contact with father, father call Islam and Islam give me phone and say, Putin gonna call you. I’m like surprised, you know, big surprise.”
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“Congratulations, we’re proud of you. It was an amazing fight. Of course, I’m not gonna say everything.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov warned Bellator and UFC
Eagle FC is an up-and-coming MMA promotion in the world. The promotion is owned by former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. He bought Gorilla Fighting Championship for $1 million in 2020.
Since becoming the owner, Nurmagomedov has been able to sign some big names to the organization. Stars like Kevin Lee, Diego Sanchez, and Renan Barao are now signed with EFC.
In a recent press conference, ‘The Eagle’ fired a warning shot towards Bellator and UFC. He said, “Big organizations like UFC, Bellator, they have to be careful with their fighters because Eagle FC is here. I just want to say be careful. If they don’t treat good fighters, Eagle FC is here.”
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Eagle FC is making big strides and in the right direction. But it also isn’t easy to run a promotion. Nurmagomedov would like to keep the early success of it going and keep making the right decisions for it to grow.
