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9 Apr, 2019 12:35

'When Putin phoned I was surrounded by police': Khabib details UFC 229 call from president (VIDEO)

UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has detailed the conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin following his victory over MMA superstar Conor McGregor last October.

Much of what surrounded Nurmagomedov's victory at UFC 229 has already become part of the folklore that accompanies the champion from Dagestan.

His post-fight brawl with McGregor's team, as well as the consequences of it, have been widely reported all over the world.

READ MORE: 'Conor's like a jealous wife who leaves and then comes back' – Khabib slams McGregor on retirement

But one part that we know a little less about is the phone call Khabib received shortly after his victory.

One of the questions the 30-year-old champion fielded during his Q&A session with students of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics last week was about that exact call. 

"You know the thing is, after the fight there was a lot of security, not even security, police rather. Because security wouldn't have been able to do anything (in that situation)," Nurmagomedov revealed.

Also on rt.com 'That just shows what kind of lowlife he is’: Khabib responds to McGregor’s ‘insults’

"So the police came there and they surrounded us and escorted us to the locker rooms. They said we wouldn’t leave any time soon. It would take 2-3 hours before they cleared the arena and the area around it to make sure there were no fans left.

"And during that moment, as we were surrounded by the police, we got this call. I didn't have my phone on me. Islam (Makhachev) had his phone with him. They called Islam's phone and said that in a couple of minutes there would be a call from Vladimir Putin.

"He called in such a situation, asked, 'How are things? I said, 'It's all good, but we are surrounded'.

I said, 'Everything is good, because since they surrounded us, they won't escape us'

"(Putin) congratulated me and said that he watched the fight. He said that I should control my emotions, and not pay attention to the provocations. He said, 'We are waiting for you at home'.

"We spoke for about one minute. It was very pleasant, in such a (hard) moment you get a call from none other than the president, he congratulates you, shows you his support. It's very pleasant," he concluded.

Also on rt.com 'May God help him': Khabib offers support to Tony Ferguson, hopes 'dream fight' will happen

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