Khabib Nurmagomedov accepts 1-on-1 challenge from Real Madrid star with warning – “1-on-1 is not football”

Khabib Nurmagomedov loves a few things – fighting, his family and football, not necessarily in that order. The Eagle's undying love for football is well known. He has spoken about how his childhood dream was to become a professional football player. But unfortunately, that wasn't part of “dad's plan.” But since giving up fighting and even training (aside from brief appearances at training camps for the fighters closer to him), the former UFC champion has rediscovered his love for the game.

After he retired from the UFC in 2020, Nurmagomedov's dream came true in a way. In 2021, FC Kamaz from the Russian professional football league even offered him a contract. But of course, his favorite club remains the famous and historic Real Madrid FC.

That is why it was so heartwarming to see one of the RMFC players, Toni Ruediger On Instagram, he challenged “The Eagle” in a 1v1 game of soccer (or as they call it: football). And Nurmagomedov responded almost immediately with a tongue-in-cheek warning to the Real Madrid and Germany center-back.

“1 on 1 is not football, it’s MMA. Be careful.” he wrote in an Instagram story in response to the Real Madrid star's challenge. Obviously, “The Eagle” is only interested in a one-on-one fight, and he found a pretty funny way to reject Rüdiger's challenge. But when it comes to playing football, his dreams finally came true three years ago.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s childhood dream of becoming a professional in the “King of Sports” is still unfulfilled

Although Khabib Nurmagomedov is a former Combat Sambo and Mixed Martial Arts champion, he considers football to be the “king of sports.” This is despite the fact that even the biggest football stars like Cristiano Ronaldo are not only MMA fans, but also Khabib’s personal fans.

“Playing football at a professional level has always been a childhood dream of mine. Of course I want to explore this path. After all, football is the king of sports! I have discussed this with many influential people, including Ronaldo and the PSG owner.” he said.

Khabib Nurmagomedov finally got his chance to become a professional footballer when he joined FC Legion Dynamo, the football team from Dagestan's capital Makhchkala. However, the former UFC champion has not played any games for the club, making it seem as though his joining the club was more of a giveaway. Of course, this means that Nurmagomedov's childhood dream of becoming a professional footballer still remains largely unfulfilled.

What do you think about the back and forth between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Toni Rüdiger?