"Khabib Nurmagomedov initially didn't want a nickname. Nurmagomedov (29-0) is also known as "The Eagle" all around the world. However, the former UFC lightweight champion recently revealed that he didn't have a nickname before his UFC career. Nurmagomedov recalls being urged to use a nickname because his name was hard to pronounce. Nurmagomedov chose "The Eagle" as it the symbol of his homeland of Dagestan."
"When the UFC signed me in 2012, they told me, 'My friend, your name is very hard to pronounce. You need a nickname.,' Nurmagomedov said at the World Sports Summit in Dubai. 'I was like, 'What? I have my name, why do I need a nickname?' I asked my manager, 'What does nickname mean?' He said, 'Your name is very hard for them to say.'"
Khabib Nurmagomedov initially resisted adopting a nickname when he joined the UFC in 2012. UFC representatives told him his name was hard to pronounce and advised him to take a nickname. He asked his manager what a nickname meant and questioned the need, but ultimately accepted 'The Eagle' because it symbolizes his homeland of Dagestan. Over time Nurmagomedov became a household name in MMA and fans learned to pronounce his surname correctly. Several other elite Dagestani fighters such as Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov and Usman Nurmagomedov now compete without nicknames.
Read at Sherdog
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