A video has resurfaced of Khabib Nurmagomedov handling the press in the coolest way possible. The Dagestani was compared to Muhammad Ali by some fans, and when he was asked about the comparison, he did not flinch.
When he was asked if he liked the comparison to Ali, he said: “I think comparing Ali and me is probably wrong. Only if we talk about the fact that we are both champions and both Muslims, but all the things he did outside the ring, with this I cannot be compared.
“Indeed, at the time when he was a champion, he was… another race, and at that time in America, black people were treated badly. According to his stories, he was not even served in restaurants, he threw away the gold medal.”
Here, Khabib is both gracious and shows himself as aware of the racial issues Ali faced throughout his professional career. Khabib is always credited as a very cerebral fighter who has a world-class ability to analyse fighters, and it would seem that this translates to outside the Octagon as well.
He continued: “He [Ali] changed the attitude towards his race very much, so we cannot be compared. To be able to compare me with him, I need to go back to those years and be black and be a champion. After, we would see how I would behave in such a situation. In this case, we can be compared. I like that people compare us, but I think it is inappropriate.”
Muhammad Ali’s Contribution Outside the Ring
One of the primary arguments for Ali’s status as the greatest of all time is the incredible presence he had outside the ring. Ali’s political impact as an athlete is unmatched, especially in relation to the Vietnam War. Essentially, Ali refused to fight for the United States in the war, giving one of the most famous quotes from a sportsperson in history.
“My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America.”
While fans are quick to compare Khabib and Ali as a result of their dominance in the fighting scene, the former’s mature and measured response to the comparison only highlights that the latter’s supremacy in the ring was only the tip of the iceberg with how successful and influential he was.
Fans Applaud Khabib’s Response
Unsurprisingly, the reaction from fans was unanimously positive. One Reddit user said: “Khabib behaves like a professional and a grown up. Like it’s an actual sport and not a circus.”
A fair section of the reaction also brought in questions about how Conor McGregor, one of Khabib’s most bitter adversaries, would have responded to the same question.
The former lightweight champion showed his true colours after Ferguson suffered yet another defeat.
One Reddit user said: “Incredibly sound and mature response, nothing but respect for him. Hate to compare, but I’m just imagining the reply to this same question if it was asked to Conor.”
The brash Irishman would not shy away from the comparison or the line of questioning, but it is hard to imagine that he would give such a measured response to being equated with one of the most decorated and best fighters to grace the ring.
