UFC star Islam Makhachev and his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov have paid a steep financial price for their unwavering stance on the Palestinian cause, with the pair losing millions in potential sponsorship deals.
During a conversation, Khabib opened up about the economic consequences that followed their public support for Palestine. The former undefeated champion made it clear that he and Makhachev were fully aware of what they stood to lose when they chose to speak out.
“For example, I’m famous athlete. Can you imagine when you post about them you lost contracts, you lost sponsorship. You know, many, many sponsors they don’t want to work with athletes who support Palestine,” Khabib said.
The former UFC champion stressed that the consequences were not limited to himself and Makhachev, pointing out that other prominent fighters had faced similar situations.
“Not even support, you just say something and they cancel contracts. You think it’s not happened with me? Or it’s not happened with Islam? Or Usman? It’s happened with us.”
Khabib acknowledged that the stance came with a financial cost, but argued that the money lost through sponsorships and contracts was insignificant when compared with the human suffering involved.
“We lost money too, but money compared to lives is nothing,” he explained.
For Khabib, speaking out is also about using the platform that comes with being a high-profile athlete. Rather than remaining silent because of potential financial consequences, he believes athletes have a responsibility to use their visibility to draw attention to issues they believe matter.
“It’s like biggest responsibility to introduce, to share with people, okay, you cannot give up. And I just don’t want be like, quiet.”
The former champion emphasized that their stance wasn’t calculated based on financial outcomes but rooted in genuine conviction. “We’re not going to be quiet if someone asks us to be quiet because they’re going to pay us money,” Khabib explained. “No, we’re going to speak up.”
