Khabib Nurmagomedov may be an icon of MMA, but he has a lot of affinity towards another sport. He loves soccer, or as Europeans call it, football. Not only does ‘The Eagle’ have extensive knowledge about football history, but he’s also been able to meet up and hang out with some of the biggest stars of the beautiful game. And guess what? Khabib’s cousins also had those opportunities, as Umar Nurmagomedov recently narrated a story about his meeting with Zlatan Ibrahimović.
The former Swedish national player and multiple-time European soccer league winner is a prominent figure in the sport who sticks out like a sore thumb. Zlatan Ibrahimović’s on-field brilliance complemented his off-field personality, making him a fan favorite during the peak of his powers, and he won numerous trophies to sign off his decorated career as one of the game’s best ever. And he bumped into Umar Nurmagomedov earlier this year and made a lasting impression on the UFC star.
Khabib’s cousin reveals Zlatan Ibrahimović’s message
When Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin got to meet the towering striker, he was mesmerized, to say the least, as he spoke about the former Paris Saint-Germain star’s “mindset.” However, they only had a limited amount of time to talk to each other, but when Umar Nurmagomedov spoke to Zlatan Ibrahimović, he straight away got the gist of what the soccer legend really was as a person.
“I enjoy European soccer a lot. Yeah, I got to talk with [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, too. We didn’t have much time to chat. Just like 30-40 mins,” Umar Nurmagomedov told Adam Zubayraev. “But even in that short time, you could tell he is the kind of person who talks a lot about mindset. And that’s a huge part of being an athlete, not just in soccer, in any sport.”
Apart from being starstruck, Umar Nurmagomedov also claimed to have been surprised. He never expected Zlatan Ibrahimović to know who he was since he’s nowhere near Khabib’s stardom. Regardless, their conversation went really well, as per the bantamweight star, the Swedish legend shared a powerful message with him about keeping his chin up and continuing to train despite the setbacks.
“He told me something like, ‘I have seen your fights. Don’t give up. Everything is ahead of you. You are still young. You have got everything ahead of you. Keep training.’ Words of real encouragement,” Umar Nurmagomedov added. “The fact that Ibrahimovich knows who I am — I was shocked.”
STOCKHOLM 2016-11-21 Zlatan Ibrahimovic med Guldbollen och en kopia av den staty som skall resas utanför Friends Arena talar under en presskonferens efter Fotbollsgalan i Globen i Stockholm pa mandagskvällen. Foto Jonas Ekströmer / TT / kod 10030 STOCKHOLM SVERIGE x10030x *** STOCKHOLM 2016 11 21 Zlatan Ibrahimovic with the Ballon dOr and a copy of the statue to be erected outside the Friends Arena speaks during a press conference after the Football Gala in the Globen in Stockholm on Monday evening Photo Jonas Ekströmer TT code 10030 STOCKHOLM SWEDEN x10030x PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxDENxNORxSWExFIN Copyright: xJonasxEkströmer/TTx FOTBOLLSGALAN 2016
Well, Umar may not need to be shocked that Zlatan Ibrahimović knows who he is. The soccer legend met his cousin way before he had the chance to talk to him. And guess what? Ibrahimovic even teased a return from Khabib Nurmagomedov at one of the UFC’s monumental events in history. Let’s take a look at that front.
Ibrahimović once teased Khabib Nurmagomedov’s return at UFC 300
The first time that Zlatan Ibrahimović and Khabib Nurmagomedov met each other was during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when Lionel Messi made history. Not only him, but other stars like Paul Pogba and tennis icon Novak Djokovic joined in and posed for a picture as well. It was clear to fans that Zlatan and Khabib had a cordial relationship, which is the reason why fans were curious when the soccer star shared a picture on social media last year with ‘The Eagle’, and captioned it: “UFC 300.”
This created a lot of buzz on social media as Zlatan Ibrahimović sent the fight community into a frenzy. However, that tease was for nothing as Khabib Nurmagomedov would shut down those rumors. And guess what? The Dagestan native is still staying true to his words, and the chances of him making a UFC comeback are slim to none. “UFC 300 will be without me, like UFC 400,” ‘The Eagle’ wrote on social media in response to Ibrahimovic.
Coming back to Umar Nurmagomedov, he still has a lot of time to make his mark in the title scene, given that he’s 29 years old. Si, just like Zlatan Ibrahimović said, he needs to continue doing what he does and evolve as an athlete and as a fighter. What do you think about the soccer legend’s sage advice to Khabib’s cousin? Let us know in the comments down below.
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