Khabib Nurmagomedov warned Antonio Rudiger to "be careful" after the Germany defender appeared to offer the MMA star a one-on-one challenge.
Nurmagomedov, 35, went unbeaten throughout his entire UFC career, with 19 of his 29 wins coming via knockout or submission. He retired in 2020, and was inducted into the UFC hall of fame two years later.
The Dagestan-born fighter has been enjoying his retirement, and recently shared some photos of himself on a football pitch. His post attracted interest from the footballing world, with Rudiger and his Real Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham chiming in.
Former Chelsea defender Rudiger shared the post with the caption '1 vs 1 my brother @khabib_nurmagomedov'. “1 vs 1 is not football,” the fighter replied. “This is MMA... Be careful.”
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Rudiger has few peers as far as football is concerned. The German international was one of a number of Real Madrid players named among the 30 Ballon d'Or nominees after helping his club win last season's Champions League, and the new season hasn't started too badly either.
The centre-back, who joined from Chelsea in 2022, hasn't missed a minute for Los Blancos as they've gone unbeaten through their first five league outings. He also played the full 90 minutes in the UEFA Super Cup as his team beat Atalanta to lift the trophy.
Despite Madrid's unbeaten start, rivals Barcelona sit top of the tree as both clubs prepare for Champions League action. Rudiger's team start against his former club Stuttgart, with Barca taking on Monaco on Thursday.
The Khabib challenge wasn't the first time Rudiger has laid down the gauntlet to a formidable opponent. However, Erling Haaland - against whom he won his battle last season - is a different prospect.
What did you make of the Rudiger-Khabib exchange? Have your say in the comments section
"It was a good game last year at the Bernabeu. We all did a great job keeping Haaland quiet that evening. And my teammates did a good job keeping [Kevin] De Bruyne quiet," Rudiger said before last season's Champions League meeting between his team and Haaland's Manchester City.
"This time, the plan will be to control dangerous players like Phil Foden, De Bruyne, and Haaland... It's personal for me as a defensive player, against a super striker like Haaland."
While City won the battle in 2023, Madrid got their revenge in last season's quarter-finals. Haaland played both legs, but was unable to score in the 4-4 aggregate draw before Madrid prevailed on penalties and went on to win the competition.
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