Dagestani Heritage Had Khabib Nurmagomedov Miss Out on Real Madrid’s Sensational Comeback to Clinch UCL Final Spot – “It Was Most Important”

Khabib Nurmagomedov might be a former undisputed mixed martial arts champion, but his heart beats for one more sport. If you are indeed a fan of the Dagestani champ, you know it’s soccer. As the UEFA Champions League nears its end with Real Madrid going to the finals after defeating Bayern Munich with a breathtaking comeback, Nurmagomedov’s excitement was palpable indeed. However, he had to miss flying to Santiago Bernabeu, to meet a Russian war hero.

‘The Eagle’ recently shared a post on Instagram, showing his meet-up with Ibrahim-Pasha Sultanovich, a war hero who fought in the Battle of Stalingrad, the liberation of Sevastopol, Kerch, Kiev, Kharkiv, Lviv, and Warsaw. However, his love for the game of soccer didn’t fail to escape.

Khabib Nurmagomedov misses Real Madrid’s match to meet Dagestani war veteran

Nurmagomedov took to Instagram and shared a story showing the Santiago Bernabeu stadium filled with fans, as his favorite UCL team was ready to fight for a spot in the final, after making a spectacular comeback against Bayern FC in the semifinals. Despite the absence of their first-choice goalkeeper, Thibaut Curtois, and David Alaba, the center-back suffering from an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee, Madrid hailed with a score of 2-1. Nurmagomedov wrote on the IG story, “This is my people Since 1998”, showing his support for the team. Despite being a die-hard Real Madrid fan, he missed the match to meet a veteran of the Great Patriotic War. 

Nurmagomedov shared a few pictures that he had clicked with the Dagestani heritage on Instagram and captioned, “I was thinking of flying to Santiago Bernabeu, but I decided to visit Anji Arena anyway)))) Still, it was the most important match of the season, for all Dagestanians” (As translated by Instagram). Without a doubt, patriotism had a higher priority for the former UFC lightweight champion than the UCL game.

The Dagestani mixed martial artist was simply amazed by Ibrahim-Pasha Sultanovich. He couldn’t hold his surprise after knowing that the warrior was more than a century old. In another IG story, Nurmagomedov shared the pictures with the war hero and wrote, “He is 101 years old MashaAllah”, followed by the praying hands emoji.

‘The Eagle’ is a die-hard Real Madrid fan

Nurmagomedov’s interest in the realm of football was pretty clear. He often took to social media and shared visuals of him playing. But if you are wondering about his favorite team, it’s none other than Real Madrid.

In an interview a couple of years back, the mixed martial artist revealed, “I watch all matches. But I am a big fan of Real Madrid. I like watching English Premier League. Even they play like the worst team, I still watch it.”

The fighter has seldom missed an opportunity to show off his love for the sport. Meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo and the PSG president were just glimpses where his fanboy attitude splashed through his tough exterior. However, when forced to choose between soccer and his homeland, he was definitely going to choose his homeland.

Do you think Nurmagomedov will get to celebrate Madrid’s victory this season? Let us know in the comments down below.