Khabib Nurmagomedov is respected almost universally in the MMA world. Even his opponents (with one notable exception) hold the Dagestani former champ in very high regard. And for good reasons. After all, ‘The Eagle’s brilliance and dominance in the Octagon was only matched by his respectfulness, humility, and politeness outside it.
Already an icon when he called it quits in 2020, ‘The Eagle’ has become the go-to role model for up-and-coming fighters, especially from Eastern Europe and Russia. This is why the MMA world was so shocked to learn about his recent Frontier Airline debacle that stemmed from a misunderstanding with the flight crew.
This event also attracted the attention of Arman Tsarukyan. The Armenian, of course, will take on lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 this Saturday, where ‘The Eagle’ will be in the champ’s corner. But the contender still has huge respect for Nurmagomedov. Even though he didn’t know the details of the incident, he has nothing but good things to say about ‘The Eagle’. The Armenia native did, however, have one small suggestion so that Nurmagomedov does not get involved in incidents like this again.
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“I saw the [clip] on Instagram, but I don’t know what happened exactly [with Khabib Nurmagomedov on the flight… He should just fly private jet. [He was] even like [flying] economy class. He’s so humble,” Tsarukyan said on the ‘Full Send’ podcast.
Nurmagomedov, of course, is pretty wealthy and could well charter a private jet to get wherever he wants to. However, it is a testament to ‘The Eagle’s humility and down-to-earth-ness. The former 155lsb champ still chooses to fly not only commercial but do so in economy class, as he was seen doing in the viral clip. But then again it is precisely because of this that Nurmagomedov is idolized by so many fighters, including Tsarukyan, who may not have become a mixed martial artist if not for ‘The Eagle’.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov’s positive influence on Arman Tsarukyan
When Arman Tsaruyan was seventeen, he knew he wanted to become an athlete. While he used to play ice hockey in his childhood and was quite fond of it, the #1 ranked 155fer switched to grappling. In six months, he won his first competition, but he didn’t know where that road would take him. However, all of that changed as soon as the Armenian challenger discovered Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“One my friend told me, like, ‘You gotta watch how Khabib fights.’ I watched his fights and I like so much and I started follow his all vlogs in YouTube, how he trains. And then I said, ‘I gotta fight,” Tsarukyan said on the ‘Countdown’ episode for UFC 311.
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Safe to say the main reason Tsarukyan is in the UFC and wants to become a UFC champion is because of ‘The Eagle’. But it must be a bit bizarre for him to fight Nurmagomedov’s protege for the lightweight title that the Hall of Famer once held.
But that is probably for the best since it allows him to prove to Khabib just how good of a fighter he is up close and personal. What do you think about Arman Tsarukyan’s thoughts on Khabib Nurmagomedov?