Not only did Khabib Nurmagomedov fork out $500,000 in fines to the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his part in the brawl that followed UFC 229 last year, but apparently he also paid a further $50,000 to cover the cost of his two teammates, Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov as well.
That’s the word according to Nurmagomedov’s teammate and fellow UFC titleholder Daniel Cormier, who praised the light-heavyweight champion for what he’s done.
“I think that Khabib is doing the most honorable thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Cormier said on the MMA Hour show earlier this week. “Not many guys will pay the fine, the 500 grand, also pay the fines of your teammates and brothers. He’s paying their money too. Whatever they fine [Abubakar and Tukhugov], he’s gonna pay it too. Those are his brothers. They were acting to help him, I guess. They’re suspended longer, he will sit with them. That’s one thing about those guys and their lifestyle and their community is that they are family at the highest level and what he’s doing is so honorable. Not many people would do that. He’s doing it with the idea that even if they take his title, it does not mean more to him than standing next to his brothers. It doesn’t get any better than that. I appreciate it. I do think the fine was steep. Whatever.
“He also said that he’s not gonna fight there anymore. He’s very firm in his approach, he’s very firm in what he wants to convey to the world. I’m very proud of him. I’m proud of the man that Khabib has become from the moment he walked into AKA to who he is today, I’m very proud of him.”
