Khabib Nurmagomedov says he has "big respect" for Dana White even though some from the MMA community don't like him
As a fledgling promoter, it seems Khabib Nurmagomedov has great respect for fellow promoter Dana White. 'The Eagle' recently revealed that although White often finds himself at the receiving end of a significant amount of flak for various reasons, he had nothing but respect for the UFC president.
Khabib hailed White's business and matchmaking acumen. He also expressed a tremendous amount of gratitude towards the UFC president for making some of the most entertaining fights in the combat sports business.
'The Eagle' recently appeared in a sit-down with the members of the Full Send podcast inside the cage at Eagle FC's Stateside debut in Miami, Florida.
"I talk with [Dana White]. I am very good with Dana. It's like some people from MMA community don't like him, but I have big respect for this guy. I have big respect. You know, like, how many fights he make in the last 25 years, how many great fights he give for fans around the world."
Here is Nurmagomedov speaking about Dana White and more:
The Dagestani phenom compared the art of promotion in MMA and boxing. He admitted that it took years to build hype around boxers, citing the example of the 2015 clash between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.
He further argued that the seemingly unending list of weight classes in the pugilistic circles made it harder to bring mainstream appeal to fights. However, as far as he was concerned, Dana White had mastered the art of promotion.
The former UFC lightweight champion lauded the 52-year-old for simplifying the process and pitting the best fighter against the absolute best competition.
Khabib Nurmagomedov plans to be hands on with Eagle FC
In the same interview, Khabib Nurmagomedov went on to detail his intentions with respect to the functioning of his promotion Eagle FC. He declared that he was going to be involved in every step of the way.
His ultimate goal is to offer an excellent experience to both fighters and fans. Having been in the position of the fighters, the Dagestani has greater insight into their needs and wants.
Here's what Khabib Nurmagomedov had to say when asked about the nature of his role in the promotion:
"No I'm going to control everything. Because I understand this game. I was on this position. I was on fighters position. And I know what they need."
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The Boss is in the building from fight 1️⃣!
@TeamKhabib | #EagleFC44 https://t.co/lkFFuSAYYv
The promotion has already made some big moves by signing the likes of former UFC stars Rashad Evans and Kevin Lee. It will be interesting to see how far Eagle FC goes under Nurmagomedov's leadership.