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Khabib Nurmagomedov speaks of the time he had the rare pleasure of visiting boxing legend Mike Tyson’s house. He also spoke about what it meant to him to have the legend ringside to watch him fight at UFC 219.

Khabib has fans all over the world. One man that is a fan of him is the boxing legend, Mike Tyson. Khabib speaks of the time he had the opportunity to visit Mike Tyson’s home in Las Vegas the last time he visited the city.

Mike Tyson was present and watched his performance at UFC 219, where Khabib faced Edson Barboza at the co-main event. Speaking about Tyson’s presence and what it meant to him, Khabib said, “The last time I was in Vegas I met with him inside his house. He invited me. I am a big fan of Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali. And I want to be the greatest like these guys. Not only inside the cage but also outside.”

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“A champion inside the ring is not everything. You have to be the greatest outside too. Muhammad Ali is a perfect example. In mixed martial arts also I like how Faber and George St-Pierre move outside the ring.”

“You cannot do a lot of crazy stuff outside the cage. Even if you beat everyone inside the cage, you have to be a champion outside the cage rather than inside. Mike Tyson is like that for me,” Khabib added.

 

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Khabib Nurmagomedov is humbled

Khabib also spoke about how it felt to have Mike Tyson be a fan of his. “First time I watched Mike Tyson fight it was like 2003, February when he fought Clifford Etienne. I watched the fight at 5 or 6 in the morning,” he added.

USA Today via Reuters

“And I can’t imagine how after 14-15 years in Vegas I’m going to show the best performance of the night and Tyson watched my fight. It’s like a dream come true. You never know what happens tomorrow, so if you have dreams you must follow it,” Khabib said.

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Watching Khabib Nurmagomedov be starstruck isn’t a common occurrence. This was one of those rare moments!