Khabib Nurmagomedov has dropped $1 million on Russian MMA promotion Gorilla Fighting Championship according to reports.
The promotion which is commonly referred to as GFC operates out of Nurmagomedov’s home of Dagestan and last hosted an event on October 14. According to Russian journalist Azamat Bostanov, Nurmagomedov has purchased the organisation for $1 million and it will be renamed as Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC).
Bostanov took to social media to announce the deal and Khabib’s plans to host EFC events outside of Russia, he wrote.
“According to my information, Khabib Nurmagomedov @khabib_nurmagomedov bought the GFC (Gorilla Fighting Championship) promotion @gfc_mma_official. The transaction amount is estimated at $ 1 million. The new promotion will be called EFC (Eagle Fighting Championship)
“The organization will change the format – tournaments will be held not only in Russia and the CIS countries, but also in the Arab world, as well as, possibly, in the USA. The deal will be officially announced on December 2 at a press conference by Khabib Nurmagomedov.” (Translated from Russian by Google)
This news seems to further cement Nurmagomedov’s plans to retire from MMA. The undefeated Russian announced he will be walking away from the sport after choking out Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Dana White has since insisted Nurmagomedov is still the champion and will most likely come back to attempted to win his 30th professional MMA fight but ‘The Eagle’ has consistently maintained he is now retired from fighting.
Nurmagomedov gave fans some hope earlier this week when he suggested on social media he would be meeting with UFC boss White soon. However, that meeting is now more likely to be regarding a broadcast deal for EFC rather than discussing a return to the Octagon.
Do you think UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov will find success with his new fight promotion?