Khabib Nurmagomedov 'a little bit scared' by UFC title fame: 'I don't want to change'

Khabib Nurmagomedov received a hero’s welcome upon returning to Russia following his title-winning victory in this past Saturday’s UFC 223 main event. It was an outpour of support that “The Eagle” knows is going to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Although he hasn’t reached superstar status stateside, Nurmagomedov (26-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC) has a massive following in his home country. He became the first UFC champion from Dagestan when he defeated Al Iaquinta (13-4-1 MMA, 8-3 UFC) by unanimous decision in UFC 223’s pay-per-view headliner in Brooklyn, N.Y., and with that is going to bring even more notoriety (via Instagram):

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A post shared by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on Apr 10, 2018 at 6:20am PDT

Nurmagomedov said it’s important to remain humble going forward. However, the 29-year-old said it’s not going to be easy. Nurmagomedov said he doesn’t want the uptick in attention to pull him off course.

“With the belt comes a lot of attention, a lot of money – crazy stuff, a lot of crazy stuff,” Nurmagomedov said after UFC 223. “I don’t want this belt to change me. I want to stay focused. Next month is Ramadan coming. After Ramadan I want to begin training, come back this year and defend this title.

“I’m a little bit worried about this belt. Sometime you think, ‘You’re UFC champion (and) a lot of stuff.’ But I’m a little bit scared about this. I don’t want to change. I want to be same Khabib, like, before belt and after the belt. This is not about me. This is about all people around me.”

Some fighters embrace the celebrity that comes with being a UFC champion, but Nurmagomedov said it’s not his style. He previously said he’s actually uncomfortable with being in the spotlight and would rather operate privately with his wife and children.

That’s not an option for Nurmagomedov, though. since he’s already one of the faces of the sport in his country and globally as a UFC champion. He has millions of followers on social media, and his status is going to be magnified even further going forward. When asked how he plans to handle it, Nurmagomedov was unable to provide an answer.

“That’s a good question. I don’t know; we’re going to see,” Nurmagomedov said. “We’ll see.”

UFC champs have handled the spotlight in different ways. Only time will reveal how Nurmagomedov fairs, but after going through a dramatic fight week and multiple opponent changes, he doesn’t plan on giving up the belt anytime soon after working Iaquinta over for five rounds at UFC 223.

“(Iaquinta’s) the real Brooklyn gangster,” Nurmagomedov said. “Not Burger King (Conor McGregor).”

For complete coverage of UFC 223, check out the UFC Events section of the site.