12 Mar, 2019 20:01

Big hitters: Khabib Nurmagomedov listed among the world's most famous sports stars in new ESPN list

Russian UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov has taken his place among the biggest stars of world sport in ESPN's newly-released 'World Fame 100' list.

UFC lightweight world champion Nurmagomedov is listed in 15th place in the 100-name list, which orders the world's biggest sports stars based on how often they are searched for on Google, their endorsement income and the size of their following on social media.

Nurmagomedov's huge 2018 saw him finally crowned a world champion in the UFC as he defeated late replacement Al Iaquinta to capture the undisputed UFC lightweight world title at UFC 223 in Brooklyn.

'The Eagle's' stock rose further when he defeated Conor McGregor by fourth-round submission at UFC 229 in Las Vegas. And the amount of search traffic around both Nurmagomedov and McGregor went through the roof following the ugly scenes that followed their bout, as members of both teams clashed inside and outside the cage at the T-Mobile Arena.

Unsurprisingly, McGregor is the highest-ranked mixed martial artist on the list, in fifth place. Both McGregor and Nurmagomedov appear significantly higher on the list than the top two boxers on the list, with Deontay Wilder appearing in 34th place and Tyson Fury listed 39th.

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The list is headed by Juventus and Portugal megastar Cristiano Ronaldo, ahead of NBA superstar LeBron James and Barcelona ace Lionel Messi.

Paris Saint-Germain's mercurial Brazilian Neymar is listed fourth, with McGregor fifth and Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer sixth.

The highest-ranked female athlete is Serena Williams, who appears in 17th place, with fellow tennis star Maria Sharapova the highest female Russian athlete on the list in 37th.