5 best Khabib Nurmagomedov quotes of all time

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not only one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, he’s also one of the most popular too.

It’s fair to say that Khabib Nurmagomedov’s incredible skills led to his popularity, but ‘The Eagle’ was also one of the most quotable fighters during his UFC career, too.

Going against the grain when it came to stereotypically stoic Russian fighters, the native of Dagestan made some memorable quips during his time with the UFC, some of which remain classics today.

Here are the five best Khabib Nurmagomedov quotes of all time.

#5. “If sambo was easy, it’d be called jiu-jitsu” – Khabib Nurmagomedov, 2013

This classic quip technically wasn’t uttered by Khabib Nurmagomedov, but instead appeared on a t-shirt that he sported during the weigh-in for his 2013 bout with Thiago Tavares.

However, it quickly became such a quotable line that it’s hard to leave it out here. At this point, Khabib was a highly touted, unbeaten prospect, but it was this moment that made fans realize that ‘The Eagle’ was different to the stereotypically stoic Russians they’d seen in the UFC before.

Reportedly, the t-shirt was not Khabib’s idea, but was the brainchild of Eldar Eldarov, a former opponent of ‘The Eagle’ who became a training partner and friend to him.

Eldarov explained the idea of wearing the t-shirt – in Brazil nonetheless – in an interview in 2020, which can be viewed below.

It is clear, though, that Khabib believed exactly what the shirt said. When asked about it, he had the following to say:

“Jiu-jitsu has a very big problem – there are no good takedowns. No good, no good takedowns, but on the ground it is perfect. Jiu-jitsu on the ground is perfect and if you want to begin jiu-jitsu, you need takedowns, guys. In sambo there is very good takedowns, takedown skills, and if you have a mix of combat sambo plus wrestling, this is unstoppable.”

#4. “Irish only 6 million, Russian 150 million” – Khabib Nurmagomedov, 2016

It’s probably fair to say that Khabib Nurmagomedov’s greatest rival in the octagon was Conor McGregor. The Irishman famously poked at Khabib verbally for years leading up to their 2018 bout, but ‘The Eagle’ came out on top in the end, submitting him to end their feud with an exclamation point.

However, it’s arguable that Khabib himself really began the issue with a classic rant after his win over Michael Johnson at UFC 205.

‘The Eagle’ had hoped to face Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title that night, but instead McGregor was given the shot, while Khabib was left to dispatch ‘The Menace’.

Unsurprisingly, that didn’t sit well with him. Khabib went on a post-fight rant about the “crazy power” of the UFC’s PR machine, claimed McGregor “tapped like chicken” against Nate Diaz, and then dropped a classic quote which took a shot at the Irishman’s heritage:

“Irish only 6 million, Russian 150 million. I wanna fight with your chicken because this is number one easy fight in lightweight division.”

The quote felt like a reference to McGregor's famous "we're not here to take part, we're here to take over" line, and felt like the official beginning of the greatest feud in UFC history - making it one of Khabib's best quips.

#3. “Send me location” – Khabib Nurmagomedov, 2018

By 2018, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s feud with Conor McGregor had heated up to boiling point. That April, Khabib was scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson – and eventually Al Iaquinta – at UFC 223 for the lightweight title vacated by the Irishman.

When ‘The Eagle’ was seen intimidating McGregor’s training partner Artem Lobov during fight week, though, ‘The Notorious’ saw red. He promptly headed to Brooklyn, where the event was set to take place, and, along with some teammates, attacked a bus containing some of the fighters, eventually breaking windows and injuring some.

Khabib wasn’t injured by the attack, but of course, he was unable to leave the bus to confront his rival.

However, when he was asked about the incident, he uttered a legendary quote that instantly went viral, and is still used today, albeit often in a different context:

“I understand these guys wanna find me, of course. I tried to go out [off the bus]. People talk about I’m scared and I don’t go out. You can ask him [Al Iaquinta] or other guys...but if you wanna find me, jut send me location. Send me location.”

Eventually, of course, that “location” turned out to be Las Vegas six months later, where Khabib submitted McGregor in their epic fight at UFC 229.

#2. “I just wanna maul people. This is what I wanna do” – Khabib Nurmagomedov, 2019

During his eight-year tenure with the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s octagon style was a simple one to understand. ‘The Eagle’ would take his opponents down and abuse them with non-stop ground-and-pound, usually leading to a TKO or submission.

It was this style that he referred to in a classic 2019 quote during the build for his title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242.

Khabib didn’t even sound emotionally charged when he was asked about his plans for both the fight with Poirier and beyond. He simply stated a simple fact – he just wanted to “maul” people:

“I just wanna maul people, this is what I wanna do. You know, doesn’t matter. Dustin, Tony [Ferguson] or other opponents. When I go to the cage, I maul my opponents. All my life. 27-0.”

Khabib's frank nature was partially responsible for his massive popularity, and his quotes didn't come much more frank than this classic, which remains memorable to this day.

#1. “Today, I want to say this was my last fight. No way am I going to come here without my father” – Khabib Nurmagomedov, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomeov’s legendary MMA career came to an end at UFC 254 in October 2020, following his win over Justin Gaethje.

Few fans and observers – including Dana White – seemed to be expecting ‘The Eagle’ to hang up his glove following the victory, which took his overall record to 29-0.

However, just months prior to the bout, Khabib had lost his father, coach and mentor Abdulmanap following a battle with COVID-19. Following this, unbeknownst to many fans, he had promised his mother that he wouldn’t fight again.

When he was given the microphone, then, after paying tribute to Gaethje, he stunned everyone by announcing his retirement in emotional fashion:

“Today, I want to say this was my last fight. No way am I going to come here without my father. It was first time after what happened with my father...when UFC called me about Justin, I talk with my mother...three days. She don’t know I go fight without father, but I promise her it’s gonna be my last fight, and if I give her my word, I have to follow it.”

The interview was arguably one of the most memorable moments in UFC history, and certainly up there with the most memorable retirements.

More than that, though, the quote above showed why Khabib was such a special fighter. Not only was he capable of mauling his foes in the octagon, but he was also a dedicated family man who would never go back on his word – two things that combined to make him a genuine legend.