After retiring from MMA, Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped into a bunch of business ventures, from launching his own promotion Eagle FC to pushing his supplement brand Fitroo, which fans actually seemed to like. But when it comes to crypto, ‘The Eagle’ never really got the fans on his side. And this time, too, after promoting another project, things only got messier for him.

For Khabib Nurmagomedov and his fans, the Central Asian papakha holds real value. The hat became even more iconic because the former champ wore it throughout his UFC career. But now, turning it into an NFT, a unique digital asset bought and sold online, has put him under heavy fire. The backlash got so loud that he even deleted his social media posts.

Khabib Nurmagomedov deletes his recent NFT social media posts

Revealing the details of the digital collectibles, Khabib posted on X, “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.”

But after ‘The Eagle’s post, fans didn’t love the idea of him turning a cultural symbol into a digital token for economic gain. That alone triggered a wave of backlash, with many believing he was benefiting from something tied to his late father’s legacy. And things only got hotter once the earnings went public.

According to KuCoin, the former lightweight king earned around $4.35 million, which equals roughly 350 million Russian rubles. How? On Sunday, November 23, each papakha averaged around 10,100 “stars,” which converts to about 103 Toncoin (Telegram’s cryptocurrency) or roughly $150. With 29,000 NFTs sold, the total shot up fast. And after those numbers made the rounds, Khabib cleared most of his social media posts and hasn’t posted since. 

Khabib has REMOVED his newest scam promotion off of Instagram, selling NFTs, thinking we’d all forget….
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That said, this isn’t the first time the Dagestani legend has taken heat for stepping into the digital currency world this year. He was already catching some criticism earlier in the year, too.  

‘The Eagle’ promoted an online “Halal” Investment platform  

It’s no secret that Khabib Nurmagomedov is a devout Muslim. Throughout his career, ‘The Eagle’ has been very open about his connection to Islam and how he practices it. But when he promoted a Sharia-compliant investment platform called Wahid back in January, the reaction was mixed. Many fans didn’t like seeing the former UFC champ dipping into another monetary investment venture.

To promote the platform, Nurmagomedov posted on X, “Keeping your Money Halal is easy with Wahed. Whether you want to invest in stocks, gold or property, it’s time to keep it Halal with Wahed. We know how hard it can be to avoid interest in a society where we are surrounded by it. But together, we can reshape the future of finance — one that’s fairer, transparent, and built on trust.”

And just like his recent NFT move, Khabib’s joining Wahid for halal investments also brought backlash. Fans questioned the legitimacy of the platform, and the old controversy around his past cryptocurrency promotions only made the conversation louder. So it feels like “The Eagle’s” online ventures keep stirring the pot.

That said, let us know what you think about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s online investment journey so far. Is it getting so controversial that it’s starting to affect his legacy? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below.