Khabib Nurmagomedov warns Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger against challenging him: "Be careful"

Even in retirement, Khabib Nurmagomedov is not looking to take it easy on anyone in a combat sports setting. That applies to even some of the best footballers in the world, as Nurmagomedov showed by challenging a Real Madrid defender to an MMA fight.

On Sept. 16, Nurmagomedov posted a seemingly lighthearted series of photos on Instagram enjoying himself on a soccer field. In the post, he tagged Real Madrid stars Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger and Jude Bellingham.

Of the three, Rudiger was the first to respond, putting the post on his story and challenging Nurmagomedov to a "1 vs. 1." However, the former champion replied, telling Rudiger to "be careful" and that he would accept the challenge in MMA, not football.

Nurmagomedov replied:

"1 vs. 1 is not football. This is MMA ))) Be careful"

Khabib Nurmagomedov's response to Antonio Rudiger. [Image courtesy: @khabib_nurmagomedov on Instagram]

Rudiger did not respond to Nurmagomedov's apparent proposal of an MMA fight but undoubtedly would decline.

Nurmagomedov has been a Real Madrid fan for most of his life, previously admitting that his fandom inspired his dream of becoming a professional footballer as a child.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov's unique sports interests

While it initially seems puzzling how Khabib Nurmagomedov would challenge Antonio Rudiger to an MMA fight from a football post, the 35-year-old has been no stranger to inventing his combat sports in the past.

The Russian went viral earlier in his career when clips of his team playing 'Dagestani basketball' surfaced online. The game is scored by putting the ball in the basket like traditional basketball but includes wrestling and grappling along the way, instead of dribbling.

It is unclear if Nurmagomedov was playing a similar version of soccer in the post, thus inspiring him to call out Rudiger to an MMA fight, but the idea is not out of the realm of possibility for 'The Eagle.'