Khabib at a UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed that he and other athletes linked to his team have lost money for expressing support for Palestine. The former UFC lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg) stated that sponsors even canceled contracts after the fighters took a stand on the conflict.
In an interview available on 'Sneako's' channel, last Sunday (9), Khabib explained that high-level athletes can suffer financial consequences when demonstrating support for Palestine. According to the Russian, some sponsors prefer not to maintain links with athletes who publicly address the issue.
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“For example, imagine you are a famous athlete. If you make a post about this, in favor of Palestine, you lose contracts and sponsorships. Many sponsors don't want to work with athletes who support Palestine or don't even support it; just saying something is enough for them to cancel the contracts,” declared Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Khabib also stated that he, Islam Makhachev , and Usman Nurmagomedov had already faced this type of situation. Despite the financial losses, the former fighter emphasized that he considers the money insignificant when compared to the lives affected by the conflict.
“You might think this doesn’t happen to me, to Islam, or to Usman, but it happened to us. We also lost money. But money is nothing compared to lives,” the Russian stated.
Finally, Khabib emphasized the responsibility of athletes and personalities with a large reach on social media. According to the former fighter, even those who cannot directly help should avoid silence and use their platform to bring visibility to the situation.
“My platform on social media brings a huge responsibility to, at least, share this with people. It’s okay if you can’t do anything more, but don’t stay silent. Everyone sees it and thinks, ‘Oh, that’s bad,’ and that’s it, but they don’t do anything,” the sports legend added.
Khabib Nurmagomedov's history in professional MMA.
Khabib celebrates his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Khabib is considered one of the greatest fighters . The Russian ended his career in October 2020, shortly after submitting Justin Gaethje and defending his lightweight title for the third time at UFC 254. Retired undefeated, 'The Eagle' left the sport with a perfect record of 29 wins, eight by knockout, 11 by submission, and 10 by decision. He defeated Conor McGregor , Dustin Poirier , Rafael dos Anjos , and Edson Barboza.
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