Umar Nurmagomedov Recalls Meeting Soccer Star Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Umar Nurmagomedov shares inspiring words from Zlatan Ibrahimović 🐺🔥

"I've seen your fights, don't give up. Everything's ahead of you. You're still young, you've got everything in front of you. Keep training.' The fact that Ibrahimović knows who I am — I was shocked."

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— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 16, 2025

Umar Nurmagomedov was surprised that Zlatan Ibrahimovic even knew him when they crossed paths. 

The Nurmagomedovs have always shared a deep love for soccer, with Khabib Nurmagomedov even choosing it as his other love besides MMA. His cousin Umar, following in his footsteps, was in attendance at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, for an AC Milan match earlier this year. The UFC bantamweight was lucky enough to have a chat with the Milan legend. Coming off a failed title bid against Merab Dvalishvili, Nurmagomedov received words of encouragement from Ibrahimovic.

“I got to talk to Ibrahimovic, too," Nurmagomedov told Adam Zubayraev. “Well, we didn’t have much time to chat, just like 30-40 minutes. But even in that short time, you could tell, he’s the kind of person who talks a lot about mindset. And that’s a huge part of being an athlete, not just in football, in any sport. He’s got a strong personality. And he said, ‘I've seen your fights, don't give up. Everything's ahead of you. You're still young, you've got everything in front of you. Keep training.' Words of real encouragement. The fact that Ibrahimović knows who I am, I was shocked.”

Known for his flashy performances, Ibrahimovic has been a show-stealing striker throughout his career.  The former Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, PSG, and Man United forward even had a brief stint with the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer. The 43-year-old Swede retired in 2023 and has since joined AC Milan in an advisory role. 

Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov's undefeated record was blemished for the first time by his loss against Dvalishvili at UFC 311 this past January. Nurmagomedov seemingly broke his hand in the very first round of that fight and has since been sidelined. The 29-year-old is now recovered and back in training, hoping for a rematch against Dvalishvili sometime in the near future.