Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin aims to take over 'The Eagle' moniker at UFC 311: "We can't be both Eagles"

Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is a prominent name, known for his notable fights in one of the biggest MMA organizations. The Dagestani dominated the lightweight division, and his legacy continues to live on through his teammates. One of his cousins plans to take over his moniker and carry it forward in his career in the company.

Umar Nurmagomedov, nicknamed 'Young Eagle', is an undefeated contender in the UFC's bantamweight division. He will face Merab Dvalishvili on January 18, 2025, at UFC 311 for the bantamweight title. The 29-year-old Dagestani fighter plans to secure the title and take over the nickname of his iconic cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov.

In a video posted by Home of Fight on X, the UFC bantamweight title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov gets quizzed by his coach Javier Mendez. They discuss Khabib Nurmagomedov's suggestion of not calling him the 'Young Eagle' since he has turned 29. The younger Nurmagomedov brother shared his opinion on the issue. He said:

"You know, he said I'm the younger brother and young eagle. You know young eagle means not age, it means like new generation. It was never been about age...and we can't be both eagles."

He added:

“I think on January 18th, I will deserve this name - Eagle. No more young, just Eagle."

Watch Nurmagomedov's response below:

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Khabib Nurmagomedov criticizes Irish MMA fighters

Khabib Nurmagomedov recently dismissed the potential of Irish fighters in a recent video while comparing them to the fighters from Dagestan. He mentioned Conor McGregor and Paul Hughes as the only noticeable fighters from Ireland. These comments were subject to a lot of criticism from the community, including McGregor and Hughes.

However, 'The Eagle' remains unfazed by all the rebuttals his view has received online. He further asserted his opinion by claiming that Dagestan dominates the amateur MMA scene, besides having contenders and champions in the leading MMA promotions. The former UFC lightweight champion doubled down on his take and put out a post on X. He wrote:

"You can say whatever you want, but if we’re talking about facts, you can’t compare Irish fighters with fighters from Dagestan. We dominate amateur MMA, and it’s not even close—not just compared to Irish fighters but the whole world. I’m absolutely confident that if we were to organize a team vs. team matchup, Dagestan would defeat a world team in amateur MMA."