Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t think very highly of the overall quality of Irish fighters in MMA.
Ahead of his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov’s (18-0) lightweight title defense against Paul Hughes (13-1) at Bellator Champions Series: Road to Dubai on Jan. 25, UFC Hall of Famer Khabib is not interested in a discussion about the impact of athletes from Ireland compared to his native Dagestan.
The biggest rivalry in the history of MMA came between Khabib, from Dagestan, and Ireland’s Conor McGregor. The matchup between Usman and Hughes is being touted as the next chapter in the feud between regions.
Khabib, however, said it’s a foolish comparison. He sees only two strong Irish representatives in the sport with Hughes and McGregor (although Ian Machado Garry is worth mentioning), and said it pales to the strength from his part of the world.
“Ireland don’t have fighters, brother,” Nurmagomedov said in an interview with PFL. “Let’s be honest: How many fighters from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor. Who else? There is no fighters, brother. You come to Dagestan, you can understand. So many organizations, they don’t even want to sign Dagestan fighters because they worry about like, everybody can become champion.”
In the aftermath of his MMA retirement in 2020, Khabib has evolved into one of the prominent coaches in MMA behind his cousins Usman and Umar, his childhood friends Islam Makhachev and Gadzhi Rabadanov, plus many more. He works first hand with the very best from Dagestan, so he minced no words on how the fighters around him stack up to those from Ireland.
“Let’s be honest: Dagestan level of MMA here (up high),” Nurmagomedov said. “But Ireland level, like not even half of Dagestan level.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Road to Dubai.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
