Khabib Nurmagomedov claims Cristiano Ronaldo would have become a UFC champion had he been born in his native Dagestan.
Ronaldo is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time after hugely successful scoring spells with Manchester United, Real Madrid, the Portuguese national team and now Juventus.
Instagram / @cristiano
Ronaldo and Khabib are good friends
But former UFC star Khabib believes the Portugal captain would have had a different career path – inside the Octagon – had he been born in his home Russian province.
In an Instagram post of himself at Camp Nou as he watched Kylian Mbappe tear Barcelona apart in the Champions League earlier this week, Khabib wrote: “I have loved football since I was a child and always dreamed of becoming footballer.
“But I was born in Dagestan and you yourselves know what the priority is.
“Who knows, maybe if Cristiano Ronaldo had been born in Dagestan, he would have become UFC champion as well.
“I mean football is a sport and I became a fighter by accident. Just kidding, not by accident.
“I will one day tell you about my own obsession with football as a child and how, sitting in sixth grade, I wrote in my notebook 200 football names (there was no internet at the time).
“I was delighted to be at this legendary stadium and to see such a battle in real life.”
Khabib retired from mixed martial arts after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last October.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov signed his UFC career with a second round submission from Gaethje last October
And the 32-year-old hopes to one day become a professional footballer.
He told Match TV: “Playing football at a professional level is a childhood dream.
“Of course, I have such a wish. Football is the king of sport after all.
“Who haven’t I discussed this with?” I even spoke with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, with the owner of PSG [Tamim bin Hamad Al Than], yes and even with Cristiano Ronaldo.
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