Vitaly Milonov
State Duma Deputy Vitaly Milonov opposed the awarding of the title of Hero of Russia to the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. His words are quoted by “Evening Moscow”.
He called Nurmagomedov an excellent athlete who has all the well-deserved regalia. However, in his opinion, it is wrong to award him the title of Hero of Russia for sporting achievements. “How is it? He's a great guy. I do not want to offend anyone, but I would not give him this title, ”the deputy added.
On November 4, State Duma deputy Gadzhimurad Omarov made a proposal to award Nurmagomedov the title of Hero of Russia. He called the athlete a worthy role model for the younger generation.
After that, the three-time Olympic champion and State Duma deputy Irina Rodnina criticized this initiative. MMA fighter Alexander Shlemenko and former Russian boxer Konstantin Tszyu agreed with her.
On October 24, Nurmagomedov defeated American Justin Gage at the UFC tournament, holding the promoted lightweight belt. After the fight, he announced his retirement from the sport. Nurmagomedov is ranked first in the ranking of the best fighters in the UFC, excluding weight categories, having won 29 fights out of 29.
