Khabib compares himself to Brazil icon Ronaldo – with cheeky weight reference – as ex-UFC champ shows off skills in new video
Retired UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov might not be returning to the cage anytime soon but the devout football fan is still more than capable of showing off his athletic prowess in a new video posted to Instagram.
Nurmagomedov, 32, confirmed his retirement from mixed martial arts earlier this year after first announcing his decision to step away from the sport as an undefeated champ following his final title defense against Justin Gaethje in October.
Since then the Russian great has dismissed UFC boss Dana White's unrelenting campaign to tempt him back to the Octagon for one final hurrah, and has even reportedly turned down a financial offer rumored to be as high as $100 million to fight Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match as part of the ring legend's retirement exhibition tour which sees its latest chapter this weekend against YouTuber Logan Paul.
But if Khabib is done throwing heavy leather in anger, he certainly hasn't stepped away from the football pitch - and has once again showed off his skills in the beautiful game after he posted a brief clip of him scoring a goal in a training match.
"Who remembers the Ronaldo of 2008, put on a bit of weight but still with firepower. [FC Legion Dynamo Makhachkala] I need motivation brothers," Khabib wrote via translation in the caption, tagging the Brazil icon and a local football team.
Ronaldo replied to Khabib's post with a series of 'hand clap' emojis, apparently endorsing the Russian's football skills.
Khabib, who is a friend of Cristiano Ronaldo, noted the exploits of his Brazilian namesake who excelled at the likes of Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid throughout a playing career which saw him win FIFA's World Player of the Year on three separate occasions.
However, the latter stages of Ronaldo's career were dogged by accusations that he wasn't taking his personal fitness as seriously as he should - which led to the somewhat cruel moniker of 'fat Ronaldo' to differentiate him from the Portuguese player with whom he shares a name.
In 2008, the stage of Ronaldo's career to which Khabib refers in his post, he was a member of AC Milan's squad which was the final time he played in a European league before playing three seasons back in his homeland with Corinthians. He eventually retired in 2011.
Khabib, meanwhile, seems intent on keeping his football fandom entirely amateur. It was reported earlier this year that Russian professional team FC Kamaz has contacted the former UFC champ to sound him about about signing a deal with the club.
"We offer you to make your football debut as part of our team. PFL is the football UFC... we play every match only to win [and are] an ambitious team with the task of entering the FNL," they said in January.
Ultimately, FC Kamaz's offer was turned down - but if Khabib keeps showing off his goalscoring exploits online, one wonders if another contract offer might wing its way into Nurmagomedov's inbox.
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