On Saturday night, the UFC crowned its first Dagestani champion when Khabib Nurmagomedov secured the lightweight title with a unanimous decision victory against Al Iaquinta. However, while Nurmagomedov’s victory was a milestone for North Caucasus and Muslim fighters, he used his post-fight interview to make a political statement.
Following a standard post-fight interview, where Khabib thanked his father, coach Javier Mendez, and his management team in English, the newly minted champion finished off statement by appealing to Russian president Vladimir Putin to “help” Ziyavudin Magomedov, the oligarch who was arrested last week on embezzlement and organized crime charges.