In a brief but notable moment following Saturday’s Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan, former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov declined to shake hands with CBS Sports presenter Kate Scott due to his religious beliefs, creating a momentary awkward exchange that quickly resolved with understanding.
The incident occurred during post-match coverage of PSG’s commanding 5-0 victory at Germany’s Allianz Arena. As Nurmagomedov joined the CBS Sports panel featuring Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards, and popular streamer IShowSpeed, he greeted each male panelist with a handshake. When Scott extended her hand, Nurmagomedov politely declined, appearing to explain his reason to the presenter.
Ishowspeed showed his tongue and made a face right after seemingly reacting to the awkward moment.
Scott, who was previously known as Kate Abdo before her marriage to boxing trainer Malik Scott last year, quickly offered an on-air apology, demonstrating cultural awareness of the situation.
Born in the Russian republic of Dagestan, Nurmagomedov is a devout Sunni Muslim. In his faith tradition, physical contact between unrelated men and women is avoided. According to some observers, Nurmagomedov is considered the second most famous Muslim athlete globally, after Liverpool star Mohamed Salah.
This isn’t the first time Nurmagomedov‘s religious practices have been noted in professional settings. UFC fighter Cynthia Calvillo previously mentioned in 2020 that while training in the same facility, Nurmagomedov would not train directly with female athletes due to his religious observances.
“It’s a little bit weird because of their religion… they won’t train with women,” Calvillo told theScore. “[Khabib] is still showing technique and stuff like that. So I still get to watch it. But it doesn’t bother me… because they’re not really being directly rude to me.”
Social media reaction to the handshake moment was mixed. Some viewers praised Nurmagomedov for adhering to his principles, with one social media user writing,
“I hope that she understood that it’s a mark of respect in our religion and not a marginalization.”
Others felt the interaction could have been handled differently, noting that beyond the physical handshake, they perceived a lack of acknowledgment until Scott extended her hand.
Despite the brief moment of cultural difference, the broadcast continued smoothly as Nurmagomedov enthusiastically discussed PSG’s historic first European Cup triumph, which he and fellow UFC star Islam Makhachev had witnessed in person.
