UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has the chance to forge a new career in football.
The MMA superstar retired from the sport in October 2020 after beating Justin Gaethje via technical submission at UFC 254.
Since then, UFC president Dana White has been consistent in his efforts to try to convince Nurmagomedov to fight on.
A mega-money rematch with Conor McGregor was seemingly on the table before Dustin Poirier derailed those plans and solidified Khabib’s retirement when he knocked out ‘Notorious’ at UFC 257 last weekend.
In the last few weeks, videos of Nuramgomedov playing football have emerged online. The 32-year-old appears to have some decent soccer skills from the few clips available.
This week Nuramgomedov took to social media to reveal he is ready to begin his new career in football. Khabib posted the below message alongside a video of him running on sand.
“Preparing for my football debut. I’m free agent, and ready to accept offers.”
Nurmagomedov’s dream could become a reality as he has now received an offer to join FC Kamaz who currently play in the Russian Professional Football League (PFL) – the third tier of Russian football.
FC Kamaz are currently chasing promotion and are looking to sign Nurmagomedov to bolster their chances. The team made a public offer to sign the UFC champion on Instagram.
“Welcome, Khabib,” they stated per RT. “We offer you to make your football debut as part of our team. PFL is the football UFC… we play every match only to win [and are] an ambitious team with the task of entering the FNL. “We invite you to the training camp in Novorossiysk, from February 12 to March 5, 2021.”
As of right now, it remains unclear if Nurmagomedov was actually serious about transitioning to professional football. Nonetheless, he has an offer to do so. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov could be successful in football?