Yahoo Finance Khabib Nurmagomedov talks to Cristiano Ronaldo ‘almost every day’
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has revealed he talks to Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo “almost every day”.
Khabib announced his retirement from MMA in October, immediately after submitting Justin Gaethje to extend his unbeaten record to 29-0, though he has not officially vacated his title.
The Russian is regarded by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, and one could draw parallels to Ronaldo’s standing in football.
READ MORE: Rarest of athletes Khabib gets rarest of endings – going out on top
Nurmagomedov, 32, has said he speaks to the Portugal captain regularly, with the pair discussing Ronaldo’s son’s future in football.
“We talk many times, almost every day, but when we met we had a conversation about where we got our motivation from,” Khabib told Russian YouTuber KraSava.
“He told me that he wants his son to be his successor. When Cristiano was a kid, he could only dream of having a simple pair of boots. But his son has everything. He fears that his son will not feel the same hunger, the same will.
“People are guided by that will. Feel the desire to achieve things. When you have everything, it’s hard to find the right motivation.
“When he told me that, I’m not going to say I was surprised, but I enjoyed listening to him. I realised that he’s a person who is not content with one, two or three titles.
“He recently won his 30th title, he is the best scorer ever. I think he will still be there for two or three more seasons.”
Nurmagomedov said his decision to retire was down to his mother’s wish for her son not to fight again following the death of Khabib’s father.
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who also acted as Khabib’s head coach, died of coronavirus-related complications in July last year. He was 57 at the time of his death.
UFC president Dana White continues to hope Khabib will fight again, however.
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