UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov was given a welcome to remember as he arrived in Uzbekistan ahead of a fight night which will feature his younger cousin Omar on the card.
'The Eagle' landed in Tashkent on Thursday in the build-up to Gorilla Fighting Championship (GFC) 20 in the Uzbek capital at the weekend, where the unbeaten Omar will face Argentina’s Brian Gonzalez.
Footage shared by Sputnik shows UFC megastar Khabib being met with the ostentatious fanfare usually reserved for a visiting head of state, as men clad in traditional dress and playing the long trumpets - known as karnays - formed a processional corridor.
As the trumpets blared, Khabib emerged to be greeted by a sizeable crowd and was handed a baby to have a photo with as he made his way through the assembled masses.
Even a man as accustomed to being the center of attention as Khabib appeared taken aback at the raucous reception, smiling and waving at fans before appearing momentarily concerned as security tried to clear the way.
With a local cloak draped over his shoulders, Khabib eventually made it to a waiting car before speeding of with a cavalcade.
Khabib is sponsored by Gorilla Energy Drink, the organizers of Saturday's event in Tashkent. His cousin Omar will be putting his 11-0 record on the line as he aims to continue in Khabib's footsteps on the road to stardom.
He will attempt to fare better than another of Khabib's cousins, Abubakar, who was recently beaten in the first round of his UFC debut in Moscow.
Also on rt.com Moscow upset: Khabib consoles devastated cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov after shock first-round defeat on UFC debut (VIDEO)That led to Irish nemesis Conor McGregor taking the chance to mock the beaten Nurmagomedov.
Omar Nurmagomedov was the subject of an episode of RT Sport's special project, 'Dagestan: Land of Warriors', which you can check out below.