"I understand why he retired now" - Fans react as Dana White shares unheard story about Khabib Nurmagomedov, Vladimir Putin, and $20 million

Dana White recently revealed an intriguing story about Khabib Nurmagomedov and the pinnacle of his success after beating Conor McGregor. It's no secret that the two UFC icons shared one of the fiercest rivalries in UFC history.

Thanks to their deeply personal feud, the buildup to their lightweight title fight at UFC 229 in October 2018 was marked by personal insults, angry outbursts, and an ugly incident that involved the Irishman attacking Nurmagomedov's team bus just after the UFC 223 media day event earlier in April.

'The Eagle' ultimately defeated McGregor via fourth-round submission in a fight that drew 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, the most ever for an MMA event. The win cemented Nurmagomedov's status as a global superstar, and he enjoyed the fruits of his labor during his travels around the world.

During a recent appearance on the Games With Names show, White recalled Nurmagomedov beating McGregor and revealed that 'The Eagle' was gifted property worth $20 million by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said:

"After he beat Conor McGregor, he went on this tour of all the Muslim countries. He's going into Turkey, he's going into Saudi Arabia, he's going into Abu Dhabi, he's going into Dubai and they're raining on him. He didn't even make it back to his dressing room, and Putin was on the phone. Putin gave him and his father $20 million worth of property in Russia."

Fans soon flocked to the post's comments section to express their thoughts on White's revelation.

One fan wrote:

"I understand why he retired now."

Another fan wrote:

"Dana casually putting Khabib's business out there."

Check out some more reactions below:

Screenshots from @ChampRDS on X

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When coach Javier Mendez named one thing he warned Khabib Nurmagomedov about before Conor McGregor fight

Conor McGregor is widely known for his ability to weaponize his trash-talking skills to get under his opponent's skin, and Javier Mendez knew he would crank it up during the buildup to his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.

As mentioned, McGregor attacked 'The Eagle' with personal insults and pushed several boundaries that aren't usually crossed in MMA. During an interview with Lord Ping last September, Nurmagomedov's longtime coach spoke about preparing his star student mentally for the McGregor fight and said:

"I told Khabib everyday he's going to come after your family, religion and your country. We talked about that for months leading up to the fight... It's not life or death, but you're making it life or death by bringing in religion and country. I wish fighters would never do that.” [H/T Lordping.co.uk]