Khabib Nurmagomedov recently attended the Eagle Fighting Championship 36. Kazan hosted the event in collaboration with Tatneft.
Nurmagomedov expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed to the event. He wrote, “Many thanks to @tatneft_official for organizing and conducting our @eaglefcmma tournament in Kazan. Also, as part of this trip, I visited the city of Almetyevsk, where I met and talked with young athletes and examined the sports complexes of this city. Trust me, we will return to Tatarstan more than once with tournaments, and I also plan to open my own gym in Kazan. See you soon friends.”
Did Nurmagomedov acquire Eagle FC?
Following his retirement, the Russian athlete obtained his own promotion.
Nurmagomedov paid $1 million for the Russian MMA promotion Gorilla Fighting Championship. Following that he renamed the promotion to Eagle Fighting Championship.
Nurmagomedov hopes to turn Eagle FC into a training ground for fighters aspiring to the UFC. Nurmagomedov even discussed a collaboration between the UFC and Eagle FC with UFC President Dana White.
In an interview, Nurmagomedov stated, “I wanted to discuss the number of title defenses an EFC fighter needs to get into the UFC. When we sign fighters, we would like the organization to follow them into the UFC.
“For example, a guy signs for six fights. If he wins and defends his title a few times, we’ll get him a UFC contract, then after he signs we’ll handle his affairs. It’s no secret everyone wants to get into the UFC.
“Other promotions want their fighters to stay. I don’t want that. I want EFC to be a launchpad into the world stage.”
Nurmagomedov’s current goals do not include dominating the global MMA stage. However, he intends to do so in the long run.
According to Nurmagomedov, “A 23-year-old fighter can have six, seven fights, win the title and defend it, then sign with the UFC in just two years. That’s a more realistic short-term goal than looking ahead 10 to 12 years just for a chance to become the best promotion in the world. But we do aim to become one of the best in the world.”
Nurmagomedov also spoke about reaching an agreement with White to showcase EFC fights on UFC Fight Pass, which did come through for the EFC’s inaugural event in 2021.
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