When Khabib Nurmagomedov was at the peak of his UFC title reign, Oleg Taktarov, widely recognized as the promotion’s first Russian champion, felt increasingly sidelined in the historical narrative.
As attention and credit leaned heavily toward Khabib as Russia’s defining UFC figure, Taktarov grew frustrated by what he saw as a misrepresentation of the sport’s past. But beyond the debate over legacy, tensions between the two men were also shaped by a personal incident involving one of Taktarov’s close friends during a visit to Khabib’s training environment.
Taktarov recounted what happened to his friend Igor, describing a situation that escalated quickly inside Khabib’s camp.
“Khabib and three more guys came to my friend Igor because they thought he was a spy,” he said. He added that things went much further than a misunderstanding.
“He was kidnapped basically by Khabib Nurmagomedov and his friends,” Taktarov said, before explaining that Igor was taken away and pressured to erase material from his phone. “Then they were told, don’t tell Oleg about it. So they didn’t tell me anything. ‘Oleg, we didn’t want to tell you because I know you would get mad and you would get in a fig ht with Khabib,’” he added.
According to Taktarov, the situation involved accusations that Igor was recording training footage without permission. Khabib’s camp, believing Igor was recording training footage, took him to a mountain and forced him to erase all the material from his phone.
He also made clear how he personally reacts to disrespect. “I do not like disrespect,” he said. “So if you are disrespecting a person, you get the smack.”
Despite how tense the episode initially became, the situation between Taktarov and Khabib eventually cooled. Khabib later invited him to Dagestan, where the two reportedly spent time running in the mountains and moving past the incident.
Reflecting on where things stood afterward, Taktarov kept his assessment brief. “No complaints, you know,” he said. “His father, I hope, also knew that I have nothing against. I wish them the best.”
As the UFC 6 tournament winner on July 14, 1995, long before Khabib’s professional career began, he felt his place in history was often overlooked in favor of newer narratives.
