‘I hope there was no knife’: Khabib responds to reports he was ‘attacked’ by fan at recent event (VIDEO)
Khabib Nurmagomedov has laughed off wild claims that he was set upon by a fan with a knife at a recent event for his MMA promotion Eagle Fighting Championship in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod.
Footage from the event at the ‘Hagorny’ sports complex on August 22 showed a young fan making a dash towards Khabib before being tackled by security staff and appearing to fall onto the former UFC lightweight champ.
To most people it seemed evident that it was merely an overly zealous fan desperate to get close to his idol, but some headlines suggested the fan had ‘attacked’ Khabib while wild rumors apparently claimed he had even been brandishing a knife.
Khabib, however, shrugged off the commotion as he clarified the incident when speaking with reporters at the weekend.
“He wanted a photo but he tripped,” laughed Khabib. “We took a photo [in the end].”
When asked about the claims the fan had a knife, the Dagestani icon responded with a smile.
“Not at all, at least I hope not. It was just a fan who wasn’t let in. He saw me leaving and ran up to me.
“He tripped but I didn’t see it. He was behind me.
“I hope there was no knife.”
The footage had also appeared to show Khabib limping – although he again had an explanation.
‘The Eagle’ revealed he had simply been injured wrestling with teammate and UFC fighter Zubaira Tukhugov during a training session earlier that day.
“Things like that happen, everything’s OK,” said the former 155lbs UFC ruler.
After calling time on his undefeated MMA career last year, Khabib has focused his efforts on coaching as well as building up his myriad business interests – including his EFC promotion.
The fight league’s latest event – EFC 40 – was held in Almetyevsk in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan on September 4.
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