Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia has run into a $3 million debt with the country’s tax authorities, outlet Mash media is claiming. The Dagestan-born MMA star has reportedly had bank accounts belonging to his Eagle FC promotion, as well as his charity fund, blocked.
Before he retired from sports in 2020, Nurmagomedov went 29-0 in an unbeaten professional career, defeating the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. In 2022, the Russian athlete was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
In a post on its Telegram channel on Saturday, Mash alleged that Nurmagomedov has failed to pay taxes to the tune of more than 300 million rubles. After the athlete bid adieu to the octagon, he embarked on a number of business ventures, including dietary supplements, a restaurant chain, and hotels, to name just some.
According to Mash, Nurmagomedov came into the Russian tax authorities’ crosshairs after he relinquished the ownership of several firms, with his relatives and close associates allegedly remaining at the helm in certain instances.
Russia’s Federal Tax Service eventually launched an investigation into the former UFC champion and uncovered irregularities in documents, leading to the closure of a few firms, the media outlet claims.
His mixed martial arts promotion company, Eagle Fighting Championship, is allegedly awaiting the same fate in the near future.
According to the report, Russian authorities suspect that Nurmagomedov may have used the money he allegedly didn’t pay into the coffers of the Russian state to purchase hotels and start-ups in Türkiye and the UAE.