Khabib ranked ‘most successful’ Russian celebrity with $16.5 million reported earnings in 2019-20

Khabib Nurmasgomedov has once again been ranked as the “most successful” Russian celebrity and athletes under the age of 40. According to Forbes, the…

By: Karim Zidan | 3 years ago
Khabib ranked ‘most successful’ Russian celebrity with $16.5 million reported earnings in 2019-20
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Khabib Nurmasgomedov has once again been ranked as the “most successful” Russian celebrity and athletes under the age of 40.

According to Forbes, the UFC lightweight champion retained his position atop the rankings by amassing an Instagram following of more than 20 million followers and reportedly earning $16.5 million for the financial year ending in April 2020.

Despite his strict policy against sponsoring alcohol, cigarettes, or gambling products and services, Nurmagomedov was able to amass a sponsorship portfolio that included contracts with Reebok, Toyota, Gorilla Energy drink ,and Alhadaya (black cumin oil).

Forbes also reported that Nurmagomedov makes a portion of his income through speaking obligations, for which he charges 5.5. million rubles (approx. $78,000) per session.

Nurmagomedov’s income and social media following puts him ahead of other notable Russian celebrities and figures, including rapper Egor Kreed, Russian hockey great Alexander Ovechkin, New York Rangers player Artemi Panarin, and tennis sensation Daniil Medvedev.

Nurmagoemdov was even ranked ahead of media personality and singer Olga Buzova, who is one of the most successful contemporary Russian entertainers with a following of 21.3 million on Instagram alone.

“It’s always nice when you are first. It doesn’t matter if it’s Instagram, in fights, in business,” Khabib said last year. “I think men will understand me, and women as well. If I’m not mistaken, I think women aim to be first even more than men.”

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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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