Khabib at a UFC press conference. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Khabib Nurmagomedov He believes that the success of the Dagestani clan in MMA has also brought side effects. According to the former UFC champion, the way the organization and major events promote their fights has increasingly leaned towards entertainment, often at the expense of sporting merit. For the Russian, this change in logic ends up working against his group, known for dominating opponents inside the octagon.
In a statement to the World Sports Summit, Khabib stated that some organizations have begun to avoid signing athletes with surnames like Nurmagomedov and Magomedov, citing saturation of this dominant profile. The former fighter acknowledged that MMA is also a business, but criticized the sport's departure from its competitive essence. For him, the logic should be simple: two athletes, alone inside the cage, competing to see who is truly the best in the world.
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“Now, I see some promotions following a policy of simply not signing them because they’re tired. Because all the Magomedovs, Nurmagomedovs come into the UFC and dominate. In recent years, they’ve changed that policy a bit, and I honestly don’t like it,” Khabib said.
“I understand. In a way, it’s a business. But, at the end of the day, this is sport. It’s sport. One against one, you go into the cage alone, and we’ll see who’s the best in the world,” concluded the former lightweight champion.
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