Khabib Normagomedov is a world renowned UFC fighter who just fought his way to the top last weekend as he beat his opponent Dustin Poirier at UFC 242, which was hosted in Abu Dhabi.
The new champion, and Russian mixed martial artist shared his delight at being the UAE and his love for the place after his fight, "I love this region. I've been in Turkey, Europe, Russia, even Dagestan, [the] US, Brazil, Canada, Mexico. I've been everywhere. But this place – the Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Dubai – is the safest place in the world. This is an amazing place."
Also mentioning the fact that UFC have signed on with Abu Dhabi for more events in the near future, he even hinted at his possible return to the UAE, "I want to come back here, maybe next year. Why not? Because UFC have already made an exclusive contract with Abu Dhabi and next year they're going to make another show here, too. We'll see.”
UFC 242 was a highly anticipated event in the Middle East as over 13,000 people flocked to Yas Island to watch the fight. Embracing his father immediately after his win, Nurmagomedov reigned supreme and was invited by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to meet. Taking to Instagram to share his delight at being in the company of the Emirati royal, Khabib captioned, "It was great meeting with HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Thank you for inviting us, it was honor [sic].”
The Crown Prince of the Emirati capital congratulated the winning UFC fighter and lauded him on social media on his official pages, including a minute long clip posted on his Instagram account in which the Prince is seen welcoming Khabib and his team, as well as other UAE citizens and officials.
