Khabib nurmagomedov: When Khabib Nurmagomedov threw his support behind former UFC champion to topple boxing great Canelo Alvarez

Khabib Nurmagomedov is good friends with former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The pair share the same management team and have always admired each other's skills. Nurmagomedov even supported Usman when he wanted to fight boxing champion Canelo Alvarez in 2022. Usman, at the time, was a dominant force in the welterweight division with a long winning streak.

'The Nigerian Nightmare' had outclassed his division and was giving contenders rematches. Usman had expressed his desire to fight Alvarez in the boxing ring, but the Mexican asserted that Usman was just looking for a big payday.

Nurmagomedov expressed his support for Usman on Instagram, and he asked him to keep pushing for a fight. He wrote:

"Let's go, brother, now is your time"

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The fight between Alvarez and Usman didn't come to fruition as Usman was knocked out by Leon Edwards, and Alvarez lost to Dmitry Bivol. Usman has since then been on a three-fight losing streak and will return to action against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta in June 2025.

When Anthony Smith went after Jake Paul for calling out Khabib Nurmagomedov

Former UFC title contender Anthony Smith once shared his thoughts on Jake Paul calling out Khabib Nurmagomedov for a bout back in February 2022.

Notably, Nurmagomedov offered Paul a contract to sign with his promotion, Eagles FC. Paul responded by saying he would do so if he fought Nurmagomedov in the first fight.

Speaking on Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast, Smith said:

“It drives me crazy. That is the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard in my whole life. Justin Gaethje is a Division I All-American and Khabib had no problem with getting Gaethje down and just controlling him on the ground. No issue at all. Jake Paul doesn’t have enough time on this earth left to bridge the gap between him and Khabib wrestling. I just, I have a hard time believing one person can be that stupid.”

Check out Anthony Smith's comments below:

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About the author

A B. Tech in electrical engineering, Dabeer began his professional career in 2022 with Vairuhl LLC. Dabeer turned into an MMA fan after watching Nick Diaz’s one-round barnburner with Paul Daley in Strikeforce in 2011. His favorite fighter is Tony Ferguson, whom Dabeer loves for his skills and personality. However, ‘El Cucuy’ does not figure in his top-five MMA fighters of all time, with Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov making that list.
Dabeer is of the opinion that MMA has supplanted boxing as the world’s premier combat sport, though he feels that UFC fighters in general are underpaid. This diehard MMA fan also believes that titles should not change hands by disqualification.
Someone who keeps himself immersed in the sport at all times, Dabeer likes to use his knowledge and writing skills to create accurate and relevant information that provides value to the readers. His hobbies are playing football and reading books.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi