"I felt like the worst person on earth" - When Megan Anderson made a terrible first impression with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov may be a dominating force in the octagon, but the Dagestani native holds his life's principles with high-regard. Muslim by faith, Khabib has been an avid practitioner of the religion and its many teachings. And when fellow fighters in the UFC fail to realize the impact that Islam has had on his life, they experience what UFC featherweight Megan Anderson had to go through. Speaking on The Megan Anderson Show, the 31-year old spoke about the time she met the 'Eagle' for the very first time.
Back in 2016 when the World Series of Fighting came to Kansas City, Megan Anderson was cornering her fighter who was scheduled to go up against one of Khabib's. Recollecting the events of the day, Anderson recalled how after the fight, the two camps came together to shake each other's hands. However, Khabib Nurmagomedov, she said, blatantly ignored her presence. Not knowing that Khabib Nurmagomedov is in fact a Muslim, Anderson walked up to the latter to shake his hand after the announcement of the winner. Further speaking on the incident, she said:
"So I went up to him, grabbed his hand and shook it, and he looked at me like I had done the worst thing that I could ever do on the face of the earth. I remember thinking to myself 'oh he really doesn't like me'. This is so weird. But later on someone told me that he is a Muslim and it is out of respect that they don't shake other women's hands. When I heard this, I felt like the worst person on Earth. I just did what you don't do and I felt so bad."
A couple of weeks after the incident, Megan Anderson's friend supposedly trained with Khabib Nurmagomedov at the AKA (American Kickboxing Academy). Whilst running the episode by him to understand what happened, Khabib clarified that it was to do with 'respect' and not out of any rude intention. Although Khabib seems to have looked past the event, this present day, Megan Anderson maintains that she probably will never forget about it.
Catch Megan Anderson talking about her UFC 259 bout against Amanda Nunes here:
Khabib Nurmagomedov bids farewell to the UFC
Khabib Nurmagomedov recently retired from the sport of mixed martial arts and is now pursuing to improve a number of fighters that seek his every advice. The lightweight belt is currently on the line at UFC 262, which is set to take place between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira.
Do you think we will see more of Khabib Nurmagomedov cornering his prospects in the UFC? Be sure to leave us with your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below!