Game, as they say, recognizes game. And that is exactly why Khabib Nurmagomedov is such a huge fan of recently deceased Russian wrestling maestro, Buvaisar Saitiev. The latter, of course, is considered the greatest freestyle wrestler of all time. And if not that, then certainly the greatest Russian wrestler of all time. A native of Dagestan, Saitiev went to Siberia to train. Throughout his illustrious career, the Khasavyurt-born fighter won three Olympic gold medals in 74 kg freestyle wrestling! At the 1996, 2004, and 2008 games, as well as a whopping six world championships between 1995 and 2005.

He retired after the 2008 Beijing Olympics and went into public service after it. He was appointed an acting deputy from Dagestan between 2016 and 2021. In addition, he was also the President of the Chechen Wrestling Federation in 2015, a position he served in until his death on March 2, 2025, at the age of 49. Among the many combat sports stars who paid heartfelt tribute to him are Khamzat Chimaev, Islam Makhachev, and, of course, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is still mourning his death even now.

“The best,” ‘The Eagle’ wrote on his Instagram Story along with a picture of Saitiev winning a medal. This was followed by the former UFC champ giving the Russian wrestling icon the greatest honor he could be bestowed in Dagestani culture. He called him his brother.

“Brother – this word means many things. Don’t waste your time with this word. But once you call someone brother, it’s forever,” Nurmagomedov added.

Indeed, during his lifetime, Nurmagomedov met, and from his aforementioned message, it seems to have gotten pretty close to Saitiev. This is not surprising. The Dagestan-born three-time Olympic gold medallist would undoubtedly have been an inspiration and personal hero to ‘The Eagle’ because the former dominated the wrestling world when the UFC Hall of Famer was growing up. But this is not the first message of condolence the former Combat Sambo world champion had for Saitiev.

Khabib Nurmagomedov and UFC stars’ heartfelt  tributes on Buvaisar Saitiev’s death

“May Allah forgive you, Brother. You inspired millions of children around the world, you will be missed. I express my sincere condolences to the family and friends, patience to you,” Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram shortly after Buvaisar Saitiev’s death on March 2, 2025. Nurmagomedov’s friend, protege, and UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, followed suit with his own condolences. “A legend is gone. Condolences to all relatives and friends, we will miss you,” Makhachev wrote.

“May God forgive you, may God be a hero like you for our nation,” Khamzat Chimaev, who, like Saitiev, is an ethnic Chechen, wrote on the icon’s death. But Saitiev’s legacy, fame, and star power were not just limited to the Russian UFC stars. Henry Cejudo, who won a wrestling gold medal for the USA at the 2008 Olympic Games in a different weight class than the Russian legend, recalled how meeting Saitiev was even more special than winning the gold medal.

“It’s hard to find words to describe how I’m feeling. He was a man whom I looked up to growing up in the sport of wrestling. I remember winning and being part of the 2008 Olympic championship team, and I was more honored to be there with him. A man who was poetry in motion at its finest, and in my opinion, the greatest athlete who has ever, ever lived or walked on planet Earth. I would never Fanboy over anybody but Buvaisar. I was so honored by the times that I did get a chance to hang out as I had a permanent smile the whole day,” ‘Triple C’ wrote in a lengthy, heartfelt post.

Who will remember you when you die, as they say? And in Saitiev’s case, it is anyone who knew anything about wrestling anywhere in the world. What do you think about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s tribute to Saitiev’s untimely passing?