How much money does Khabib Nurmagomedov owe to Russian authorities? Huge tax debt, frozen assets and everything else we know

Khabib Nurmagomedov has lately faced multiple allegations of financial wrongdoing. Speculation suggests that 'The Eagle' is expecting prosecution in his native Russia, which is why he's supposedly hesitant to return there.

The Russian government is investigating the 35-year-old for allegedly unpaid taxes. Reports regarding the same emerged in May 2024, with additional developments subsequently coming to the fore.

A report by Russian outlet, Mash, suggested that the Russian FTS (Federal Tax Service) was owed approximately 306 million rubles (around 3.3 to 3.4 million USD) by Nurmagomedov in unpaid taxes. The belief was that government officials uncovered inconsistencies in the documentation of the retired MMA fighter's businesses.

The Dagestan-born combatant's charitable organization, his Eagle FC MMA promotion and other businesses were under the scanner. Nurmagomedov allegedly invested in start-ups and hotels in Turkey and the U.A.E. (United Arab Emirates) with unpaid tax funds. Reports underscored that Russian authorities had frozen Khabib Nurmagomedov's business-related bank accounts.

Nurmagomedov's team later put forth a statement, indicating that the former UFC lightweight champion's entrepreneurial journey was going well. They also refuted the allegations of alleged tax debt.

Well, according to RT, Khabib Nurmagomedov has accrued a debt with the Russian government. The authorities have frozen his bank accounts. His overdue amount was more than 79 million rubles (approximately 1 million USD). The RT report also cited the latest Mash report on the Nurmagomedov tax case.

Per Mash, Nurmagomedov owes the Russian authorities 297 million rubles (approximately 3.3 to 3.4 million USD). The May 2024 Mash report was also alluded to, pointing out that multiple companies belonging to him were closed down, one of which was a tourism-related venture named Hikmet Travel.

Apparently, this was owing to false information in the documentation. Khabib Nurmagomedov's account was blocked, as was the account of his charitable foundation.

Moreover, the RT report implied that Nurmagomedov had given up his ownership of several companies. However, the veteran martial artist's close associates and relatives retained control in some of those companies. 'The Eagle's' aforementioned business decisions raised suspicions of the FTS, prompting an investigation that reportedly discovered the irregularities.

That, in turn, led to the freezing of his bank accounts and closure of multiple companies owned by Nurmagomedov and/or his relatives. Presently, he's said to be faced with a multi-million-dollar debt owing to the tax issues.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov tax controversy - 'The Eagle' faced similar challenges in the past

Speaking of his charitable endeavors, back in 2021, a Tax Compliance report noted that Sberbank's Stavropol branch blocked the bank account of a foundation whose co-founder and honorary president was Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The Makhachkala Foundation for Education, Sports and Social Initiatives (aka ROSSI Foundation) was the foundation in question, which faced punitive action due to uncleared debts. The FTS was to collect the debt from Nurmagomedov.

The outstanding amount in that case was believed to be just 36k rubles (around 409 USD). Additional details concerning the same were featured on Octagon.Media. A noteworthy point was that the foundation, which was created in 2016, faced the threat of liquidation if it didn't comply with the tax authorities. Nurmagomedov would've faced a temporary ban if the amount wasn't paid.

It was likely that the foundation's account being blocked was due to its failure to submit reports, regarding its workings, on time.

Additionally, for years, Khabib Nurmagomedov has faced persistent criticism from longtime rival and combat sports megastar, Conor McGregor. 'The Notorious' has consistently maintained that Nurmagomedov must be held accountable for procuring investments from Russian billionaire Ziyavudin Magomedov.

Back in March of 2018, Magomedov, the founder of the now-defunct Summa Group, was arrested by the Russian authorities as a part of the nation's anti-corruption operations.

Conor McGregor underlined that Magomedov funded Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym and the latter's combat sports career, which is also believed to have greatly benefitted Nurmagomedov's teammates. 'The Eagle' refused to elucidate on McGregor's accusations.

Magomedov remains incarcerated and filed a $14-billion lawsuit last year, alleging a Kremlin-orchestrated conspiracy against him and proclaiming his innocence.

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Dagestan terror attack and Khabib Nurmagomedov's legal issues

Fast-forward to June 2024, and Dagestan faced a terrorist attack. The attackers appeared to target Christian and Jewish places of worship in Derbent and Makhachkala, leading to the death of over 20 people. Five of the deceased were the perpetrators of the terror attack, in which around 46 people were injured.

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and his childhood friend and training partner, reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, condemned the attacks. However, Russian authorities subsequently raided a gym owned by Nurmagomedov in Dagestan. The raid was in relation to the ongoing investigation of the attacks.

One of the attackers was former MMA fighter, Gadzhimurad Kagirov, who had trained at Nurmagomedov's gym. Kagirov was killed during Russia's counterterrorism operation. 'The Eagle' claimed that Kagirov wasn't a part of his team but acknowledged that he might have trained at his (Nurmagomedov's) facility in the past.

Rumors are rife that Khabib Nurmagomedov may face legal proceedings when he returns to Russia. In a recent Sports Politika report, Karim Zidan made an allusion to the same. One of Zidan's tweets suggested that Nurmagomedov may not return to Russia anytime soon, not only because of the ex-UFC star's tax issues, but other legal troubles as well.

Whether or not Nurmagomedov is prosecuted upon returning to his homeland, remains to be seen. In the meantime, he was spotted enjoying football at the UEFA Euro 2024. As for his rivals, particularly Conor McGregor, he seems to believe that the Dagestani fighter's tax controversy and other legal troubles would force him to return to professional MMA competition in the UFC.