Khabib Nurmagomedov has reportedly cleared $3.4 million debt to Russian Federal Tax Service
Khabib Nurmagomedov's tax-related issues are supposedly behind him. SHOT, a channel on Russian instant messaging platform Telegram, is being referenced by various MMA X accounts as a source in a recent wave of posts reporting that Nurmagomedov has paid off his $3.4 million debt to Russian tax authorities.
The exact figure is said to have been $3.398 million, and the debt is now reportedly settled. Nurmagomedov's bank accounts were said to have been previously seized by the Russian government over financial irregularities, which 'The Eagle's' camp categorically denied.
Unfortunately, his relationship with the Russian government remains tense. Back in late June, one of Nurmagomedov's gyms in Dagestan was raided by Russian security forces due to an alleged connection to a recent terrorist attack on a Christian church and Jewish synagogue.
Several extremists linked to the attack are suspected to have trained at the aforementioned gym. While Nurmagomedov himself has not been found to have any such links, the association between his gym and the suspected extremists has led to him being placed under an even bigger microscope.
However, various reports allege that the unbeaten MMA legend no longer resides in Russia and has instead taken up residence in the United Arab Emirates, where has since been spotted several times. Historically, though, Nurmagomedov has been a staunch supporter of his Russian government.
He has been pictured in the company of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who previously congratulated him for his exploits in MMA. However, his relationship with Putin briefly came under scrutiny during the leadup to his UFC 229 fight with Conor McGregor, who questioned the Dagestani's loyalty.
Conor McGregor previously taunted Khabib Nurmagomedov over the latter's tax-related troubles
When Khabib Nurmagomedov's debt to Russian tax authorities was first revealed, his arch-nemesis Conor McGregor had the time of his life mocking 'The Eagle' on X in since-deleted posts. McGregor referenced an old video of Nurmagomedov laughing at a homeless man doing push-ups for money.
"Broke and on the run if you see him tell him push ups for cash," McGregor wrote in a now-deleted post on X.
He even hoped for Khabib Nurmagomedov's return to MMA to earn enough money to pay off his debt. However, it appears that the undefeated 155-pounder has reportedly managed to clear his debt without having to resort to an octagon return.