Dana White answers if Khabib Nurmagomedov sees him as a competitor in MMA promotion
Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC is scheduled to make its debut on US soil on January 28. Dana White recently weighed in on Nurmagomedov's promotion gig.
According to Dana White, the goal of any MMA promotion would be to compete with the UFC. However, White doesn't seem bothered as he claims that there are several MMA events happening all year round globally.
White also praised Nurmagomedov for always being straight up with the UFC. During a conversation on the Full Send podcast, White responded when asked if Khabib viewed him as a competitor:
"You know, I'm sure... that's the goal, yeah. But there's tons of these events that go on every weekend. That you guys probably don't even realize, that happens every weekend all over the world, so... But yeah, he's got some real money behind him and you know, I keep telling him, 'You're gonna learn what it's like to be on this side of the f****** fence.' He's the most respectful f****** kid in the world man. He's a great dude, always been straight up with us. And you know, all good with him."
Catch Dana White on the Full Send podcast below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov has no intention of competing with the UFC
Since retiring, Khabib Nurmagomedov has been focusing on his MMA promotion Eagle FC, among many other ventures. 'The Eagle' plans to host seven to eight Eagle FC events on US soil this year.
Speaking to ESPN's Marc Raimondi, Nurmagomedov claimed that he doesn't intend to compete against the UFC, at least not yet:
"UFC is a very big brand. I do not want to compete with them or other promotions. I have my view and my principle... I remember like one year ago, end of November, I bought Eagle FC so we only have 12 months. If you want to become big, we need like five to six years and we have to do around the world everywhere some events, sign a lot of fights. You know it is too early to talk about competing with some big fish and we are just beginning. And I'm very excited about this journey."
Catch Khabib Nurmagomedov's interview with ESPN below: