Khabib Nurmagomedov treated to 'amazing gift' by UFC president Dana White
MMA great Khabib Nurmagomedov has expressed his gratitude towards UFC president Dana White after being treated to an ‘amazing gift.’ Taking to Instagram, Nurmagomedov posted a video showing himself wearing a pair of Nike shoes that White purportedly gifted him.
‘The Eagle’ proceeded to add a caption to the video whereby he thanked the UFC honcho for the gift. In a video posted to his Instagram Stories, Nurmagomedov wrote:
“Thank you so much @danawhite.” Further, Nurmagomedov added, “Amazing gift.”
See the shoes below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov has come a long way in his relationship with White. In 2016, Nurmagomedov condemned the UFC brass for letting archrival Conor McGregor fight then-champion Eddie Alvarez for the UFC lightweight title rather than giving him his long-overdue title shot.
Watch 'The Eagle' criticize UFC matchmaking below:
The Dagestani fighter eventually received his title shot and captured the lightweight belt in 2018. Nurmagomedov successfully defended his title thrice. ‘The Eagle’ retired in October 2020 with an impressive 29-0 MMA record.
In stark contrast to his issues with White in 2016, Nurmagomedov and the UFC president now share an excellent relationship.
29-0 in MMA
13-0 in UFC
From Nashville to Fight Island, Khabib Nurmagomedov's unstoppable eight-year run through the UFC is officially at an end 🦅
The Eagle retires unmatched and undefeated.
We were lucky to be there for the journey 🙌
https://t.co/cKZGiUnS92
Khabib Nurmagomedov hails Dana White as the best fight promoter, seeks knowledge from UFC president
In a recent interview for his MMA organization Eagle FC, Khabib Nurmagomedov labeled Dana White as the greatest fight promoter ever. Noting that he’ll continue learning about fight promotion from White, 'The Eagle' said:
"Dana White is the best of all time promoter, in my opinion. No one is even close. And I just try to learn from him. I'm just beginning. I think I can learn from him a lot of things. Even next ten years, twenty years, he can teach me, I think."
Furthermore, the Dagestani recalled that he’d been relentlessly texting White and demanding that his longtime training partner Islam Makhachev be accorded a UFC lightweight title shot. Nurmagomedov claimed that White wasn’t responding to his texts.
The UFC honcho addressed this and asserted that he doesn’t have anything personal against Nurmagomedov, but he won’t let others dictate matchmaking and matters of that ilk to him. Nurmagomedov replied by jestingly suggesting that White likes to play mind games. ‘The Eagle’ added that he tries to learn from White’s mind games too and aims to become a top-tier promoter like him someday.
Watch Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC interview below: