Khabib on fighting countrymen: There are enough ‘alcoholics’ to beat in the UFC first

Earlier this week, UFC fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov, Rashid Magomedov and Rory MacDonald appeared in Moscow for a seminar to promote their Reebok gear. Following…

By: Karim Zidan | 8 years ago
Khabib on fighting countrymen: There are enough ‘alcoholics’ to beat in the UFC first
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Earlier this week, UFC fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov, Rashid Magomedov and Rory MacDonald appeared in Moscow for a seminar to promote their Reebok gear. Following their respective master class sessions, Khabib stayed behind to field questions from fans and media present.

Given that Khabib appeared alongside fellow Dagestani lightweight Magomedov, one of the questions directed at him was whether he would be interested in match-ups against his compatriots. Although he admit that the option exists at such an elite sports level, Khabib believes there are enough fighters for the Russians to face without challenging each other unnecessarily.

“I’m not for this attitude,” Khabib said (H/t cageside.ru). “I do not want it. I will not lie and say that in any case I will not take the fight, but I think that the UFC has enough alcoholics there to beat first.”

Khabib was scheduled to return to competition for the first time in nearly two years this December but was forced to withdraw from his match-up against Tony Ferguson with a broken rib. It was his third consecutive injury and his eventual recovery is all that occupies his mind at the moment.

“I’ll tell you that right now, I do not even think about it. Now the main thing is to get into shape, put myself in order and take care of my health. I want to go return for my next fight in March. “

A fan later asked Khabib who he would invite to his wedding from AKA if he could go back in time and relive his marriage union. The Dagestani laughed and offered a humorous response:

“I would not have invited Cormier because he eats a lot,” Khabib laughed. “There is not enough chicken. Probably someone in the lighter weights Thompson, Fitch or Rockhold. “

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About the author
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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