Khabib Nurmagomedov is all praise for Manny Pacquiao ahead of his fight against Errol Spence Jr.
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has always been a proponent of displaying respect in combat sports. 'The Eagle' like to give and command respect from his colleagues, peers, and even opponents.
Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao was no different to him as he spoke about the former unified champion in an interaction with ES News. The exchange took place on the set of Mike Tyson's podcast Hotboxin', where Nurmagomedov appears to be the latest guest. The Dagestani fighter was asked what he thought of Manny Pacquiao going up against Errol Spence Jr.
"Of course, I like this guy. He inspires millions of people around the world, you know, like very good example for the people. Great champion, you know. He's a legend" Khabib Nurmagomedov said.
Manny Pacquiao is in the news again as he is fighting the current unified welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. 'The Pac-Man' is 11 years older than Spence Jr., who is undefeated in 27 professional fights. Pacquiao is on a three-fight winning streak himself and holds the WBA (welterweight) title to his name.
Manny Pacquiao will fight Errol Spence Jr. on August 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event will be held on Fox pay-per-view. Fans would love to see the legendary boxer come back after more than two years away from the sport of boxing, and Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of them.
Watch the interaction between ES News and Khabib Nurmagomedov below:
The full episode of Hotboxin' with Khabib Nurmagomedov is yet to be released.
The rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor seems to have intensified
McGregor and Nurmagomedov are two of the biggest stars in MMA and have shared an intense rivalry going as far back as UFC 223. While it wasn't the beginning of their feud, the actions of Conor McGregor were certainly enough to spark hatred between the Irish and Russian contenders for years to come.
However, things are reaching a boiling point after McGregor deleted a tweet from his Twitter account where he sent his condolences to Khabib's father after his death. This was preceded by him mocking Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's death in a tweet that he quickly deleted.
His antics have alienated his fans further, and Khabib Nurmagomedov will not be pleased with the Irishman. However, he hasn't responded to McGregor in any way, and it doesn't seem like he would, either.