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Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to stay busy in retirement. And one of his planned tasks? Help integrate mixed martial arts into the Olympics.
The current UFC lightweight champion, who announced his retirement in October, told a press conference in Uzbekistan on Tuesday that he was already working behind the scenes in an attempt to make MMA an Olympic sport. Nurmagomedov said he believes combat sport has “a great chance” of participating in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“Including MMA in the Olympics is one of my biggest tasks for the next two years,” Nurmagomedov said in Russian. “We are already working in this direction.”
Nurmagomedov said he was in the process of arranging a meeting with President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach.
Originally from Dagestan, Russia, he is one of the best MMA fighters of all time and one of the most prominent Muslim athletes in the world. He is the first MMA fighter at his level to talk about being part of the effort to bring MMA to the Olympics. Nurmagomedov said he knew there would have to be changes to the rules for the sport to be recognized.
“In the Olympics, with boxing, I think they changed gloves. They don’t want there to be a lot of blood,” Nurmagomedov said. “But in terms of sponsorship, TV audience, audience, MMA has it, and if it qualifies for the Olympics, it will be on par with athletics and football in terms of interest. This is my personal opinion. And we are already working in this direction. “
Nurmagomedov, 32, said at two press conferences this week – one in Uzbekistan and one in Russia – that he still has no plans to return to the UFC. But it’s clear his post-competition life will always be in the world of MMA.
In addition to his Olympic efforts, Nurmagomedov announced this week that he has purchased the Russian MMA Promotion Gorilla Fighting Championship and renamed it the Eagle Fighting Championship after his nickname “Eagle”. Nurmagomedov said he plans to hold EFC shows next year in countries like Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Abu Dhabi. Much like the idea of integrating MMA into the Olympics, Nurmagomedov’s goal is to help the sport develop internationally.
“It’s no secret that all fighters want to go to the UFC,” Nurmagomedov said. “A lot of promotions deny that and want the fighters to stay with them to finish against the UFC. I don’t want that at all. I want the EFC to act as a stepping stone to this global arena.”
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