“Modern Dagestan. Is this what was bequeathed to us by righteous predecessors?” he asked, incredulously.
Nurmagomedov is very religious and frequently posts passages from the Quran, which would explain his position, but his traditionalist views sparked criticism from fans. They responded to his post unkindly, saying things like, “Making homeless people do push-ups ups for money, is this what was bequeathed to us by righteous predecessors?”
A post shared by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on Aug 14, 2018 at 1:16pm PDT
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Before things spiraled out of control, “The Eagle” released a statement on Instagram clarifying his previous remarks.
“If I make a statement in my posts, it does not mean that I am such a fine fellow and all of you who read my post are sinners, etc. THIS IS NOT SO," he wrote.
“First of all, I remind myself of this and only then my subscribers, because I need a reminder. We are all sinners, some less, and some more. There are no ideal people. But we all have to admit that Dagestan needs a reminder, and if athletes like me silently observe what is happening in our Republic, then what will we come to? Just look at the past few months and how many children we lost in Makhachkala. I’m not talking about other problems. Politics do not interest me and I’m not a [State Duma] deputy. This is not a political post. I, as a Dagestani, worry about my republic and what happens in it.”
Nurmagomedov will make his first title defense at UFC 229 when he takes on former lightweight champion Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
A post shared by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on Aug 16, 2018 at 2:04am PDT
