"It might very well be no. 2" - Coach Javier Mendez believes Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle Fighting Championship is second only to UFC in terms of audience
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s head coach Javier Mendez has made a bold claim about the Russian’s Eagle Fighting Championship.
In the wake of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to retire from professional mixed martial arts last year, many were left to wonder what direction he’d head in next. As it turns out, 'The Eagle' had a variety of plans in mind - including starting up his own promotion.
His friend and former coach, Javier Mendez, has reason to believe things are going pretty smoothly thus far.
“I think Eagle Fighting Championship is on track to be towards the top of the league of all fighting endeavours. It’s just gonna take a while for the promotion to pick up steam but right now, the amount of audience that he’s getting is second to none. I mean his last show he did in Kyrgyzstan, he had 10,000 fans [in attendance].
“He’s got great momentum and if you track the audience, he may well be number two [to UFC] in terms of his shows. I’m not 100% sure of that, but I’m pretty confident in saying he’s right up there.”
“I think they’re bigger now [as EFC compared to GFC]. Attendance wise.”
Check out Javier Mendez's video below:
Is Khabib Nurmagomedov the next Dana White?
Formerly known as the Gorilla Fighting Championship, Khabib Nurmagomedov has dedicated a lot of time and energy to try and ensure the continued success of this venture.
He isn’t everyone’s favorite fighter, but it’s still time to start putting some respect on the name of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Sure, he’s already well-respected for what he was able to accomplish in mixed martial arts, but he’s also doing really well for himself outside of his UFC tenure, and not many can say that.
Some want to see him return for one more fight in the name of trying to reach 30-0, but if there’s one thing we know to be true about Khabib Nurmagomedov, it’s that he’s a man of his word.
It may be time for MMA fans to pay more attention to the thriving success of the Eagle Fighting Championship.