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Khabib Nurmagomedov is known for the unparalleled dominance he imposed on rival fighters during his storied MMA career. While work ethic and elite wrestling are probably his most well-known qualities, Khabib's mental toughness is an aspect that doesn't come up during discussions all that often.
The Dagestan native never seemed intimidated by any of his opponents. However, it looks like a leopard cub managed to make Khabib more nervous than any of his UFC opponents.
Uploaded on the Instagram account fullviolence, an old video shows Khabib Nurmagomedov nervously moving away from a pet leopard cub as his friends burst into laughter. The video is funny especially because it shows a very humane side of someone who even wrestled with bears as a nine-year-old!
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Khabib appears to be one of those fighters who never put their killer instincts on display in the outside world away from the blood, sweat, and tears of the training regimen. Videos of his visits to Turkish celebrity chef Burak Ozdemir's restaurant show similar reactions to practical jokes.
Hailed as one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) retired from professional MMA after the third successful defense of his UFC lightweight title against Justin Gaethje in October 2020.
The decision to retire is attributed to Khabib's deep personal loss, lack of competitive interest, and a solemn promise. The former champ did not give in to the UFC's repeated attempts to take him out of retirement and the UFC accepted his decision to stay retired in April 2021.
Khabib Nurmagomedov rejected a $100 million offer to come out of retirement
Khabib's late father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov wanted his son to fight UFC legend Georges St-Pierre before he retired from MMA. However, the bout did not materialize in his lifetime and Khabib's retirement put an end to the possibility of the fight ever happening in the future as well.
During his appearance on the podcast, 'Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson', Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager Ali Abdelaziz revealed that the former champ refused Georges St-Pierre's offer to fight him as well as a $100 million offer to fight boxing great Floyd Mayweather in a crossover boxing match.
Since retiring from the sport of MMA, Khabib Nurmagomedov has ventured into several businesses outside of prizefighting and clarified his intentions to stay retired on multiple occasions.
