Khabib Nurmagomedov’s new MMA promotion will NOT include female weight classes as UFC legend risks controversy by insisting ‘there are not many good fighters’… while one new signing will be paid his fee in CRYPTO
- Khabib Nurmagomedov has explained why Eagles MMA does not have women
- The promotion will make its US debut in January and has a 165lbs weight class
- However, Eagles MMA does not have female weight divisions as it stands
- Nurmagomedov says there are only ‘five or six’ good fighters in the world
- Former UFC star Kevin Lee will be paid in cryptocurrency by Eagles MMA
Khabib Nurmagoemdov has explained that the lack of top-level female fighters is the reason behind his decision not to feature any women’s divisions in his new MMA promotion.
The UFC legend has launched his own promotion – Eagles MMA – which will debut in the United States on January 28.
Nurmagomedov has already landed former UFC interim lightweight champion Kevin Lee and his introduction of 165-pound and 175-pound weight classes has attracted interest from the MMA world.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has explained his decision not to include female stars in his promotion
So too has his decision not to introduce women’s fighting to his organisation. The Dagestani said the situation may change, but at this point there are ‘not many good’ female fighters in MMA.
‘I am like, we can watch what Julianna Pena did with Amanda Nunes [at UFC 269],’ he said via BJPenn.com. ‘But Julianna Pena, she’s not like greatness or something like that. She just beat Amanda Nunes like [on the day].
‘We can watch and not many good [female] fighters all around the world. There are only like five or six of them. And so we will wait and see.’
The Dagestani has launched Eagles MMA, and has recently signed ex-UFC star Kevin Lee (left)
However, the promotion does not yet have any female weight divisions ahead of its launch
Nurmagomedov’s decision to include a 165-pound division – something that UFC president Dana White has been reluctant to initiate – could be a big factor in drawing stars to his promotion.
Lee’s manager Marquel Martin also revealed that the 29-year-old will be paid in cryptocurrency under the new promotion.
‘Kevin is already deeply invested in crypto,’ Martin said via Ariel Helwani, ‘and now becomes one of the first professional athletes to take his comp in Bitcoin, which facilitates an immediate and cost-effective means to further amplify his position in the Crypto market.’
The Dagestani said there are only ‘five or six’ good female fighters around the world at present
Lee praised Nurmagomedov’s new organisation, insisting that Eagles MMA is ‘already well established’.
‘Honestly, as soon as I walked into the building of the arena we will be fighting in, it’s huge. They put in a lot of effort, a lot of money into this and it’s already well established,’ Lee said to BJPENN.com.
‘This is only day one so I can only imagine what day 100 will look like… At this point, I bring my eyes to myself, anywhere I go in the world, people know who I am. I bring that level of notoriety.’