Khabib Nurmagomedov Claims He Received Offer To Join WWE, Gets Heat From Fans For ‘#FakeFights’ Hashtag
With close to a week having passed after his successful title defense against Conor McGregor at UFC 229 ended in controversy, UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov took to Twitter early on Friday morning to claim that WWE made him an offer to join the company. While he seemed to be challenging former UFC Heavyweight Champion and current WWE superstar Brock Lesnar in one of the hashtags he used in his post, “The Eagle” also drew some criticism for poking fun at the fact that the sport is scripted.
Nurmagomedov did not go into much detail in his tweet, which asked his fans what they think about WWE supposedly making him an offer to “jump inside,” while also calling out one of WWE’s biggest names with the hashtag “#SmashLesnar” and referencing pro wrestling’s predetermined nature by adding a “#FakeFights” hashtag. This got the attention of the wrestling community, as several fans, as well as a number of WWE talents, saw the tweet as a sign of disrespect.
As seen in the replies to Khabib’s tweet, many social media users reacted by referencing the undefeated UFC fighter’s post-match attack at UFC 229, where he went after McGregor’s jiu-jitsu coach and training partner, Dillon Danis, and sparked a massive brawl. Others were more direct, suggesting that Nurmagomedov was being disrespectful by calling WWE’s product “fake fights.”
“See, the beauty of the #FakeFights he’s mocking is that when there’s a huge brawl at the end of a match it’s scripted and nobody comes out of it looking like an unsportsmanlike a**hole,” one Twitter user commented.
When you draw crowds and possess nearly as much talent as the lads and lasses that have these “#FakeFights” then you can talk. Until then, keep your mouth shut, mate. ?? https://t.co/myKeUFmnkn
— Ethan (@EthanCradduck01) October 12, 2018
MMA News: Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals WWE wants to sign him; destroys Brock Lesnar & WWE https://t.co/rFG4JtTywe pic.twitter.com/r1f8JV3dr6
— Sportskeeda Wrestling (@SKWrestling_) October 12, 2018
Two current WWE wrestlers also reacted to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s use of the “#FakeFights” hashtag, with Monday Night Raw’s acting general manager, Baron Corbin, quipping that current WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy outweighs Khabib by “50 pounds,” as noted by Lords of Pain. Lio Rush, who wrestles on 205 Live and appears on Raw as Bobby Lashley’s manager, also chimed in, tweeting that WWE’s brand of competition will have Nurmagomedov “crawling back to UFC.”
While some Twitter users commented that Khabib Nurmagomedov might have been joking when he talked about WWE offering him a chance to join the promotion, the Russian fighter was far more serious on Thursday, when he took to Instagram to criticize the UFC for not taking action against Conor McGregor and several members of his camp for their controversial bus attack from earlier this year.
As recapped by the Daily Mail, Khabib was upset that nothing was done to punish McGregor and his entourage, despite how the men “could have killed someone there,” and how the Irish fighter had later taken shots at Nurmagomedov’s family, religious beliefs, and heritage in the run-up to their UFC 229 fight. He also threatened to quit the UFC if the promotion chooses to fire teammate and countryman Zubaira Tukhugov for his alleged role in last Sunday’s post-match brawl.
“If you decide to fire him, you should know that you’ll lose me too. We never give up on our brothers in Russia and I will go to the end for my Brother. If you still decide to fire him, don’t forget to send me my broken contract, otherwise, I’ll break it myself,” said Nurmagomedov.
