Khabib shared the story behind his nickname

The former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov explained why he had to take a fighter's nickname after joining the promotion.

“When the UFC signed me in 2012, they told me, ‘My friend, your name is too difficult to pronounce, you need a nickname.’ I was like, ‘What? I have a name! Why do I need a nickname?’ I even asked my manager, ‘What's this nickname?’ And he says, ‘Your name is too hard for them.’

I took the nickname ‘Eagle’ because it is a symbol of Dagestan. But just six years later, everyone knew my real name,” said Nurmagomedov at the World Sports Summit.

Let us recall that Khabib hung up his gloves in 2020.