Former US President Donald Trump believes Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest MMA fighter of all time.
After a year away from fighting, Khabib resumed his coaching duties at UFC 302, where he helped lightweight champion Islam Makhachev clinch a win over Dustin Poirier to bag a third successive title defense.
Immediately after leaving the Octagon, Nurmagomedov approached Trump, who was seated ringside at the Prudential Center in Newark. In their brief meetup, Russian encouraged Trump to take steps to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the event of winning the 2024 US Presidential Election.
Speaking about his brief meeting with Khabib on Truth Social, Trump praised the former UFC champ as the GOAT.
“Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired after a RECORD of 29-0, never having lost even a single round, is probably the greatest fighter of all time,” Trump said. “I met him at the UFC event on Saturday night in New Jersey. A really smart guy – Big things in the future for Khabib.”
The undefeated former UFC lightweight champion announced his retirement from mixed martial arts after his submission win over Justin Gaethje in October 2020. This decision came as a shock to many fans, considering his dominant career record of 29-0, with three successful title defences against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Gaethje.
In June 2022, the UFC officially announced that Nurmagomedov would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing in recognition of his unparalleled achievements in the sport. A year later, he took a break from coaching to spend more time with his family.
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