Sheikh Hamdan and UFC superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov are best friends
Following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decisive victory against Dustin Poirier during UFC 242 at The Area on Yas Island, the MMA legend has become rather popular across the emirates, even with the royals.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, Dubai took to his popular Instagram account to show friendly pictures of himself and Khabib celebrating the win and the increase in recognition for the emirates as a sports host.
More than 13,000 people attended the fight at The Arena, not to mention countless more watching on TV and online.
Nurmagomedov’s commanding win and admirable sportsmanship earned him the respect of people across the globe, including Sheikh Hamadan and recently the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince.
On Monday, Khabib visited His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
The photos on the Dubai Crown Prince’s Instagram are less formal, showing the champ and the prince hugging and also showing Sheikh Hamdan posing with the UFC championship belt. At the time of writing, the post has almost half a million likes, with the first picture showing Khabib and his team sitting around Sheikh Hamdan and laughing at something on his phone.
The UFC fighter has spoken about his excitement and appreciation towards the UAE in continuing to support numerous sporting events. During his meeting with Sheikh Mohamed, WAM explained that:
“[Khabib] Nurmagomedov expressed happiness at meeting Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and applauded his support for various sports.”
This isn’t the first time Khabib and Sheikh Hamdan have linked up however, the pair also posed for pictures back in February when the 30-year old Russian visited Dubai.
