Former MMA champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has revealed the words of advice that he received from AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic before his fight against Justin Gaethje, following which the Russian retired from the sport.
Here is what Zlatan had to say to the Light Heavyweight Champion:
‘If you feel young, you are young,’ the striker can be heard telling Khabib.
‘If you train hard, you train hard. And if you know you’re better than everybody, you’re better than everybody. You just have to do it.
‘People talk when you’re number one. They just want to find something to go against you. It’s always the same s****.’
Khabib went on to win the fight against Justin Gaethje in the second round, with a triangle choke. That would prove to be his last fight in the octagon as he retired following his victory with a perfect 29-0-0 record, which has never been achieved in the UFC before.
He is still heralded as the pound for pound best fighter in the world, despite having put life in the cage behind himself.
The former Light Heavyweight Champion has also commented on possibly joining football one day, despite being 32 years old,.
‘To play football on a professional level is a childhood dream. Of course, I have such a wish. Football is the king of sports after all.
‘Who haven’t I discussed this with! I’ve spoken even with the UEFA president Aleskandr Ceferin, with the owner of PSG, yes and even with Cristiano Ronaldo.
‘Spartak of course are great, but that’s domestic level. My dream club is Real Madrid.
‘In fact the first match I remember watching the full 90 minutes, was Real vs Juventus in 1998 [Champions League final]. I remember Mijatovic scored from an offside position, but we still won.’
