Donald Trump talks cage-side conversation with Khabib Nurmagomedov, labels Dana White irreplaceable
Khabib Nurmagomedov had a widely publicized cage-side conversation with former United States president Donald Trump at UFC 302. The topic of the pair's conversation wasn't clear initially, with rumors arising that 'The Eagle' was expressing confidence in Trump's presumed ability to end the Israel-Hamas war.
In a recent sitdown on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, Trump shed some light on his interaction with Nurmagomedov. Not only did he talk about the UFC lightweight legend, but he also touched on his close friendship with Dana White, telling hosts Logan Paul and Mike Majlak that the UFC CEO was indispensable.
"I think Dana White is one-of-a-kind. He's been generous to me, he made a great statement about me the other day. That was a nice statement. I did [have his back], and rightfully. I think, you know, the expression, 'Everybody's replaceable?' I'm not sure anybody could do the job he does. It's unbelievable."
Trump then spoke about his cage-side meeting with the unbeaten Nurmagomedov, while also praising the latter's father, the late MMA coaching legend Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
"I met Khabib, Khabib who's 29-0, and his father died, and he just said, 'That's it for me,' and you know, his father was great at what he did, and probably he never lost even a round. I think, he's 29-0, they say he never lost a round, and I thought he was great, and we got to speak. He was just about my favorite guy and really talented."
Check out Donald Trump talking about Dana White and Khabib Nurmagomedov (16:16):
Unfortunately, Trump never disclosed the nature of his conversation with Nurmagomedov, nor did he deny that it was about 'The Eagle' urging him to stop the Israel-Hamas war if he is elected president of the United States once more.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of several fighters who interacted with Donald Trump at UFC 302
While Khabib Nurmagomedov drew attention for his conversation with Donald Trump, he isn't the only fighter to have done so. After beating Paulo Costa in the co-main event, former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland expressed admiration for Trump in his post-fight interview.
Multi-division action fighter Kevin Holland also interacted with the former president, shaking his hand following his gruesome armbar against Michał Oleksiejczuk, marking his first-ever career win with the particular submission.