British Media Reveals Vladimir Putin's Familiarity With Khabib Nurmagomedov

Former UFC fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov. (Photo/Instagram @khabib_nurmagomedov)

JAKARTA – British media, The Mirror, has again posted news about the intimacy of Russian President, Vladimir Putih, with former UFC fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov. The story was captioned "Vladimir Putin Jokes with Khabib Nurmagomedov about being 'punished' for his brawl with Conor McGregor".

I don't know why The Mirror brought up this news again. However, this is believed to be related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine which has not yet ended.

In the news, it was recounted the moment when Putin joked with Nurmagomedov who was accompanied by his father after the Russian fighter's victory over McGregor at UFC 229 2018. At that time, Putin joked about Nurmagomedov's sentence.

Putin joked that he would ask Nurmagomedov's father and coach not to punish the fighter for his post-fight actions.

"Yes, of course you don't represent your own team. You don't play for your country, but you perform for yourself. You are Russian citizens and we are not indifferent to our citizens, no matter where they are or what we do", Putin was quoted by The Mirror.

"This is why we are watching with great interest, I will ask your father not to punish you so cruelly because you achieved the main goal, you won with dignity and (it) convincingly. I believe that all of us in our country are one big family", he said. Putin continued.

Nurmagomedov sparked a post-fight brawl after he jumped over the octagon and attacked McGregor's teammate Dillon Danis at UFC 229. The action caused a commotion outside the ring before being appeased by the security team.

As a consequence, the Russian fighter must be sentenced to a nine-month suspension and a fine of $500,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Meanwhile, McGregor received a lighter sentence with a six-month ban and a $50,000 fine. This incident made Nurmagomedov vow not to fight again in Las Vegas.

"No matter what happens, we need to try and avoid rash actions like prosecuting someone, regardless of what is going on. Anything can happen in the family, but we never allow ourselves to go overboard", Putin said.

Nurmagomedov retired from the UFC last year after promising his mother that he would not fight again after his father's death. The decision at once closed the possibility of a rematch with McGregor could be realized.