Khabib Nurmagomedov has raised concerns about major promotions cutting fighters for failing to engage in trash talk.
The former UFC lightweight champion, who now coaches a large number of young fighters in his native Dagestan, believes that major organizations such as the UFC and PFL are increasingly prioritizing athletes who excel at playing the social media game over those who may be more deserving of opportunities from a meritocratic perspective.
“I feel very bad for US promotions…very, very bad,” Nurmagomedov told former soccer star Rio Ferdinand at the World Sports Summit. “Because there is so many hungry fighters coming (through), and they don't like to talk. They don't like trash talk, they just come smash people and take money, you know? And US promotions, they don't like this.
“They like trash talking. They like entertainment. In one way, it's business. But in another way, (at the) end of the day, this is sport. It's sport…one on one. You go alone inside the cage and we will see who's the best in the world.”
Nurmagomedov’s stable of fighters includes the likes of current UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, current PFL lightweight titleholder Usman Nurmagomedov and UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov. “The Eagle” insists that those 3 represent the tip of the iceberg.
“I have couple (of) gyms in Dagestan,” Nurmagomedov said. “There is 500 amateur guys. And they all want to be like Khabib. They all want to be (a) champion. They all want to take over the world, you know? And they’re all good. What we gonna do with them? Like how you gonna stop (them)? It's very hard.
“It's like right now I see some promotion, they follow the politics, They just don't sign them because they're tired. Because all (of the) Magomedovs and Nurmagomedovs, they jump to the UFC and they take over, you know? Last couple of years, they changed a little bit politics, and I don't like this, to be honest. It's end of the day. Like I say, this is sport. It has to be fair. And even the last couple of years, we saw so many fighters, they cut. They cut so many fighters, they don't even lose in UFC. They just finish contract, they don't give him new contract. Honestly, somebody has to talk about this. And I think this is not fair.”
