Khabib made a bold statement, humiliating his opponent Rakhmonov.

A former champion from Russia has expressed strong opinions about the level of Irish MMA. He made this statement ahead of the title fight between his cousin (18-0-0-1) and an Irish fighter (13-1), as reported by Vesti.kz.

"Let's be honest, how many fighters do you know from Ireland? Paul Hughes, Conor... Who else? Brother, Ireland has no fighters. If you come to Dagestan, you'll understand everything. Many organizations don't sign Dagestanis because they fear that they will all become champions. To be frank, this is the level of Dagestan in MMA (gestures with hand), while Ireland doesn't even have half the level of Dagestan in MMA."

It’s worth noting that this statement clearly offended and belittled another well-known mixed martial artist from Ireland - (15-1). The UFC welterweight had his toughest fight in December against the Kazakh fighter (19-0), but lost by unanimous decision after five rounds.

Remember that Khabib has his own score to settle with the star of Irish sports, Conor McGregor . In October 2018, he defeated him by submission in the fourth round.

Additionally, the title fight in the lightweight division between Nurmagomedov and Hughes will take place in Dubai (UAE) on January 25.