The former UFC fighter may be in hot water over alleged unpaid debt worth $3.3 million to the Russian government.
It comes just days after a fight club linked with him was raided.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is facing a tough legal predicament after his bank accounts have reportedly been seized because of an alleged £2.4 million ($3 million) tax debt, according to several reports.
Nurmagomdeov has diversified into business following his retirement, but it seems these ventures have not been very successful.
Nurmagomedov, a former UFC lightweight champion, retired undefeated in 2022, with a perfect pro MMA record of 29-0 (8 KOs and 11 submissions), having ran a gauntlet up to his last fight, beating the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.
Even though UFC president Dana White attempted to lure him back into the Octagon for a 30th and final fight, the Dagestan fighter never budged, saying he made a promise to his mother to stop competing, after the death of his father and trainer Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
According to reports from Mash and Ren TV in Russia, Nurmagomedov's personal accounts are currently frozen in Russia. The Russian Federal Tax Service (FTS) apparently confirmed it on its website, saying: "There are valid decisions on suspension for the specified taxpayer."
MSN said, citing the Russian news agency Tass, Nurmagomedov's representatives denied an initial allegation of tax evasion, "The information about tax debt is inaccurate. Khabib continues to engage in business projects and develop them."
Rough Week for the Fighter
The incident follows a rough week for the mixed martial arts icon as police raided his gym amid terror attack investigations.
According to Sports Illustrated on June 28, police raided the fighter's gym as part of search procedures linked with terror attacks in Dagestan, which Nurmagomedov condemned.
The terror attack on June 23 claimed 21 lives, including that of MMA fighter Gadzhimurad Kagirov, a suspected terrorist according to Sports Illustrated. There was substantial damage to a synagogue in Makhachkala, which was on fire at the time. Terrorists also caused another fighter to a second synanogogue in Derbent, which is 80 miles south of Makhachkala.
On June 25, Nurmagomedov condemned the attacks and emphasized that Gadzhimurad Kagirov, one of the suspects in said terrorist attack, was "not our student."
"[The terrorist] is not our student, that is absolute nonsense, it's not true. Yes, he had a camp at the gym at some point, maybe for a couple of months. But he was never part of the team."
Conor McGregor Troll Reacts
In a series of tweets on June 28, his longtime rival Conor McGregor took the opportunity to mock Khabib Nurmagomedov online.
Having learned about Nurmagomedov's bank accounts being seized for having over 300 million rubles ($3 million) in unpaid taxes, McGregor reacted to the news reposted by @Matysek88 on X (Twitter):
"[Laughing emoji] Broke and on the run. If you see him tell him push up for cash."
McGregor's "push-ups for cash" comment refers to an old video of Nurmagomedov, in which the Dagestani fighter was seen making fun of a homeless man and asking him to do push-ups for cash. He received fan backlash for the bad behavior.
In a now-deleted post on X, the Irish star accused Khabib's manager Ali Abdelaziz of being involved in terrorist activities.
"In the terrorist's gym when a tester showed up they would hold him hostage and give a random clean person's urine vs the fighters they were looking to test. All will come out now. When this comes down on top of them watch what surfaces. There is a video of Khabib walking into a premise full of people and smashing it up entirely with a bat, threatening all those inside. All will come out. Mystic Mac."
After the Russian police raided Khabib's gym concerning a recent terrorist attack, his old video 2018 press conference accusing Abdelaziz with the hashtag #ConorWasRight have been trending on social media.
Source:
https://www.marca.com/en/ufc/2024/07/01/6682d584e2704e395e8b458c.html
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/28881455/ufc-legend-khabib-nurmagomedov-bank-accounts-frozen/
Image: Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
