Khabib faced backlash after making a humiliating offer to a UFC fighter from America.

American UFC fighter Michael Johnson reminisced about his match against the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, which took place in 2016. Johnson revealed that during the fight, the Russian fighter attempted to persuade him to submit, according to Vesti.kz.

https://vesti.kz/ufc/habib-narvalsya-otvet-unizitelnogo-predlojeniya-amerikantsu-356284/2024-12-25 08:14:07

The American fighter shared his memories of the match against the legendary UFC Michael Johnson Khabib Nurmagomedov, which took place in 2016. Johnson admitted that during the fight, the Russian tried to persuade him to give up, as reported by Vesti.kz.

That famous fight ended in the third round: Nurmagomedov claimed victory by applying the "kimura" submission hold.

- Is it true that Khabib offered you to surrender during the fight?

- Yes. But I told him, "Go to hell!" I hit him with a strong shot - like, I'm still in this. I can't move, but I'll fight and I’m not going to give up. But, man, Khabib is good, very strong.

He looked like a middleweight fighter. And that's a problem. But I believe Khabib helped me become better. I went back to the gym and started working hard. Without Khabib, I wouldn’t be who I am today, - Johnson stated on the Overdogs Podcast.

Johnson has fought 46 times in MMA and secured 27 victories.

Nurmagomedov retired in 2021, achieving 29 wins in 29 MMA fights. He was a former UFC lightweight champion and was also inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.