Khabib Nurmagomedov recently turned down the opportunity to train Elon Musk for a potential clash against Mark Zuckerberg.
Reports reveal that the Tesla CEO had approached the former UFC lightweight champion. He wanted to seek Khabib’s assistance in preparing for a potential showdown against the Meta CEO. But Nurmagomedov declined the offer, citing undisclosed reasons.
During June, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg engaged in playful banter on various social media platforms. This light-hearted exchange eventually led to the two tech titans playfully agreeing to a cage match.
UFC president Dana White later confirmed that he had been in communication with both. He asserted that they were interested in a charity showdown within the octagon.
In preparation for the anticipated match, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg enlisted the guidance of high-profile MMA icons. Some of them include Georges St-Pierre, Israel Adesanya, and Alexander Volkanovski. However, Khabib Nurmagomedov has expressed his desire to distance himself from this spectacle.
A recent report from the Russian news agency TASS revealed that Khabib Nurmagomedov declined Elon Musk’s request for training. According to an undisclosed source cited by the news agency:
“Elon Musk wanted Khabib Nurmagomedov to help him prepare for the fight against Zuckerberg. However, Khabib declined this proposal, and we do not know the reasons [for his refusal].”
The unnamed source further indicated that the initiative was organized under the direction of Andrey Gromkovsky, the Director General of UFC Eurasia.
While Nurmagomedov is widely acclaimed as one of the best lightweights in UFC history, he has faced criticism from combat sports fans for his reliance on an aggressive yet dominantly sambo-based grappling style. This often leads to his matches ending early.
Notably, Nate Diaz has not been shy about his dissatisfaction with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s approach in combat sports. He has a well-documented history of animosity towards the UFC Hall of Famer, with past altercations between the two.
During a recent appearance on the Full Send Podcast, Nate Diaz talked about his sentiments regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov. He said:
“Khabib is the worst. Just look at him, he ran off, he’s a jock. It’s not my style of fighting. I don’t like it… He’s not a real fighter. Him, ‘DC’ [Daniel Cormier], certain guys. I’m just not interested in that kind of fighting at all. Not wrestling because I love wrestling. It’s just the jocky attitude. I’m a real fighter. I like real fighters who fight for real.”