Khabib Nurmagomedov has never been shy about his principles, and the UFC Hall of Famer believes modern MMA is drifting too far from what matters most. For Nurmagomedov, the sport should always come before entertainment no matter how big the promotion.
Speaking at the World Sports Summit, the undefeated former lightweight champion reflected on the explosion of elite talent coming out of Dagestan and how that wave is being received, especially by major U.S.-based promotions.
“I feel very bad for U.S. promotions very, very bad,” Nurmagomedov said. “Because there are so many hungry fighters coming, and they don’t like to talk, they don’t like trash talk. They just come, smash people, and take money. And U.S. promotions, they don’t like this. They like trash talking, they like entertainment.”
Nurmagomedov understands the business side of combat sports, but he believes the core of MMA is getting blurred.
“I understand. In one way, it’s business,” he added. “But at the end of the day, this is sport. It’s sport. One-on-one, you go alone inside the cage, and we’ll see who is the best in the world.”
The legacy Nurmagomedov built inside the Octagon now lives on through his team. Fighters like UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev and rising bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov continue to dominate, reinforcing Dagestan’s reputation as a production line for world-class fighters.
However, according to Nurmagomedov, the road for the next generation is becoming more complicated.
“A lot of young guys are coming,” Nurmagomedov explained. “In my gyms in Dagestan, I have around 500 amateur fighters. They all want to be champions. They all want to take over the world, and they’re all good. What are you going to do with them? How are you going to stop them?”
He suggested that some promotions are quietly changing their recruitment approach, not because of talent, but because of fatigue.
“It’s very hard, or they just don’t sign them,” he said. “Right now, I see some promotions following politics and not signing these guys because they’re tired. All these Magomedovs and Nurmagomedovs come and take over. In the last couple of years, they changed the politics, and I don’t like this.”
Recent roster decisions have only fueled those concerns. Fighters with winning records, including unbeaten contenders, have found themselves released after contracts expired. Nurmagomedov believes those moves undermine the integrity of the sport.
“At the end of the day, this is sport. It has to be fair,” Nurmagomedov said. “We’ve seen fighters cut who didn’t even lose in the UFC. They finish their contract and don’t get a new one. Honestly, somebody has to talk about this. I don’t think it’s fair.”
For Khabib Nurmagomedov, the message is clear: talent should never be sidelined for spectacle. As long as hungry fighters keep coming, the sport will keep testing whether promotions truly value competition over noise.
