Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals why he is hesitant to appear as a guest on Joe Rogan's podcast

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Khabib Nurmagomedov has hesitations about joining JRE [Image credits: @khabib_nurmagomedov and @joerogan]

Now that Khabib Nurmagomedov is fully retired from mixed martial arts, he is often asked if his future plans involve MMA-related media appearances.

In a recent Q&A session that Khabib Nurmagomedov posted on his Facebook account, he was asked if he has ever considered appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast alongside his close friend and AKA teammate Daniel Cormier.

Khabib Nurmagomedov answered that he is interested in appearing on Joe Rogan's podcast, but the only thing holding him behind is his command over the English language. However, he promised to give Joe Rogan a call when he is confident enough in his spoken English to appear on the podcast.

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"Yes, I watch Joe Rogan podcast a lot of time. He asked me a couple of times. I really want to go there. But before I go there, I want to be ready, you know? I want to improve my English little bit more to explain to people what I have in my mind, you know? In Russian language, I can say everything - what I feel, what I want to say. But in English, I have little bit barrier. When I am going to be ready, I will let him know," Khabib Nurmagomedov said.

Those who have been following Khabib Nurmagomedov since his earliest days in the UFC know how broken his English was. His father, the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, used to stand in as a translator for post-fight interviews, a favor Khabib now extends to his younger cousins and teammates.

Khabib Nurmagomedov also shared the story of the first time he went on air talking to people in English.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov was convinced to speak on air by Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier, who himself has vast experience in talking on air, persuaded Nurmagomedov. He is a regular color commentator and analyst for the UFC and was one half of the fan-favorite MMA podcast with Ariel Helwani titled 'DC & Helwani.'

'The Eagle' revealed that after this event with DC, he realized how important it was for his UFC career to communicate with fans in English and not just in Russian.

Other than Russian and English, Khabib Nurmagomedov can speak Arabic really well and has a basic proficiency in Turkish.

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"In Russian, I can talk exactly what I have in my mind. I know English, I can talk what I have in my mind I think 50 percent. In Russian, I can say whatever I feel, I want. But Russian is not my first language. My first language is Avar. Then I learn Arabic, Russian, English, little bit Turkish."

Khabib Nurmagomedov was also asked if he had ever tapped out Daniel Cormier at training.

Watch the full session below:

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