“They ruin entire families” – Khabib Nurmagomedov shuts down collaborations with bookmakers, says betting is worse than drugs
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Khabib Nurmagomedov
There are very few people in the world of combat sports that are as disciplined and religious as former UFC champ, Khabib Nurmagomedov. The devout Muslim fighter has always said he is against alcohol and drugs. But recently, the fighter shuts down any kind of betting or gambling that is associated with the sport and apparently ruin the lives of several families around the world.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is on a mission to change how things are run in the sport of mixed martial arts. The fighter might have retired from professional fighting two years ago but has never actually left the sport. Some might say he is even more involved with mixed martial arts ever since he started his own MMA promotion, EAGLE FC.
Khabib and EAGLE FC’s main motive is to change how the sport is run and to remove the “vice” from the sport that preaches respect and discipline. From banning ring girls to not advertising bookmakers, Khabib is on a mission to change how the world of combat sports is run. While some of the biggest MMA promotions in the world like UFC, Bellator MMA, and others are mainly sponsored by betting websites, Khabib remains to be one of the very few/if not the only promotion that does not advertise bookmakers.
EAGLE FC has gained a good following over the last few months and Khabib has been coming to grips with how the promotion business is handled. In a recent interview, Khabib said, “I believe gambling is more dangerous than alcohol. I think it’s worse to advertise bookmakers than alcohol. Bookmakers ruin entire families,” when asked to comment on why EAGLE FC is the only Russian MMA promotion without a betting sponsor.
Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t care about the “thousands of dollars” bookmakers bring in
Betting websites are some of the main sponsors for major MMA promotions in the world. Khabib is very aware of the kind of money bookmakers can bring into his organization but the Dagestani is very adamant about the kind of content he provides to the audience that watches EAGLE FC. “It’d be the same as if I were to advertise drugs here. Gambling and drug addiction are on the same level,” said Khabib in the interview.
“They pay big money. There are promotions that take their money and they don’t need anymore. We pay attention to the type of product we give to our audience. The only thing we promote is a sport. I don’t want people that watch us see alcohol or bookmakers ads,” added Khabib in his interview.
It is very rare that we see someone like Khabib in the field of sports entertainment stay disciplined to his religious beliefs. Despite all the flack the former champion receives, he continues to follow what he believes is right.
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Prateek Athanur
(2944 Articles Published)