For 29-0 UFC Hall of Fame legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, MMA was not his first love. It was soccer, and he has demonstrated ‘elite ball knowledge’ on many occasions. This time, though, ‘The Eagle’ found himself competing against one of soccer’s greatest exports from Sweden.

The whole soccer community knows the name Zlatan Ibrahimović, the brash, flamboyant, confident, and charismatic forward, who scored over five hundred career goals in a career that spanned over two decades. Khabib Nurmagomedov has been a longtime fan of the AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain legend, and their latest link-up is going viral on social media.

Khabib Nurmagomedov tries to rattle Zlatan Ibrahimovic

In the short clip, they were seen having some banter. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided to arm-wrestle each other. Immediately, ‘The Eagle’s inner MMA fighter woke up.

Khabib tried to jokingly intimidate Ibrahimovic, asking, “What do you feel?”

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The Swedish legend felt something, but it was definitely not intimidation. After all, Ibrahimovic prefers to stand his ground as well. “I feel Spirit,” Zlatan Ibrahimovic replied. The duo shared a laugh together thereafter.

As Khabib Nurmagomedov shared the video on his Instagram stories, it made its way to other platforms, including X. The UFC legend not only called Zlatan Ibrahimovic a “special man,” but also his “brother,” an honor that he doesn’t really give to everybody.

This is not the first time Khabib and Ibrahimovic have met each other. A while back, Umar Nurmagomedov was with Khabib when they ran into Zlatan. The bantamweight star revealed during an interview an important lesson he learned when they chatted with the PSG legend.

Khabib’s cousin reveals what he learned from Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was one of the toughest soccer players ever. While he was a towering presence every time he stepped on the pitch, his toughness wasn’t just physical. He had the mental durability as well. He had a larger than life persona, and a black belt in Taekwondo that he earned at the age of seventeen.

After getting to know what Ibrahimovic was all about, albeit for a few minutes, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin revealed that the soccer legend reminded him of the importance of having the right mentality.

“I enjoy European soccer a lot. I got to talk with [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, too. We didn’t have much time to chat. Just like 30-40 mins. But even in that short time, you could tell he is the kind of person who talks a lot about mindset. And that’s a huge part of being an athlete, not just in soccer — in any sport,” Umar Nurmagomedov told Adam Zubayraev.

There’s a healthy amount of respect between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and fans can expect more of what they saw the next time they meet. After all, the Dagestani phenom is known for trying to rattle the nerves of celebrities, having done that to YouTuber IShowSpeed as well. What do you think about Khabib’s intimidation tactics? Drop your comments below.