"With your influence you could’ve spread more awareness" - Fans urge Khabib Nurmagomedov to speak up for Palestine as he touches down in Turkey

UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov has been called upon by some fans to voice his support for Palestine amid the ever-escalating death toll and bombardment of civilians in Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East has recieved criticism from activists and protesters across the globe due to the 'clear violation of international humanitarian law' in Gaza, as per the United Nations.

With the Palestinian death toll touching an estimated 5,000, there is an ever-growing movement online calling for a ceasefire. Fans also got onto Khabib Nurmagomedov's case in a recent post announcing his arrival to Turkey.

Nurmagomedov was in Abu Dhabi recently for UFC 294 to support his long time friend and former teammate, Islam Makhachev, in his second successful lightweight title defense.

Some fans wrote in support of Palestine under his Instagram post:

"Come on Khabib, with your influence you could’ve spread more awareness about Palestine 🇵🇸"

"Don't Forget To Make Dua For The Palestinians 🇵🇸 In Every Salah 🤲🏻"

"Free Palestine 🇵🇸🤲🥺🇵🇸"

"‏for God's sake save Palestine 🇵🇸"

Some even accused him of "cowardice," even though he has posted in support of Palestine on various occasions:

"Assalomu alaykum Khabib. You can help Palestine 😢."

"Of course, we understand that you also sympathize with Palestine, but can you be more active in posting videos in support of them?!! Muslims are silent, and people who have no connection to Islam post several videos, messages, etc. daily. d. What can you call this? only cowardice!!!!!"

Check out fans' comments on Instagram in the screenshots below:

Fans react to Nurmagomedov's post on Instagram with calls to support Palestine.

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Dana White doesn't believe Islam Makhachev is in Khabib Nurmagomedov's shadow

UFC president Dana White weighed in on the notion that lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is in his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov's shadow after his latest title defense at UFC 294.

Khabib Nurmagomedov ushered in an unprecedented era of dominance in the lightweight division and was unbeaten throughout his career. However, Makhachev is just one title defense away from matching Nurmagomedov's reign and could go on to outdo him, according to White.

White said at the UFC 294 post-fight press conference:

“I don’t know if he really lives in Khabib’s shadow. The guy’s been dominant and then he goes in, all the controversy that came off the last fight, and he finishes this fight the way that he did. He went in there and viciously, impressively finished this fight with a Cro Cop-esque kick to the head. It doesn’t get any better than that... And you don’t ever see anybody do that to Volkanovski. Khabib came in and won the title and defended it — but this kid could go on a defense run that absolutely blows everybody away that ever held the belt in that division.”

Check out his full comments below on YouTube [19:48]: