Russian MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov has caught the eye of his country's president.
Karim Zidan of Bloody Elbow linked to a Russian website and noted Vladimir Putin met with Nurmagomedov following the fighter's UFC 229 victory over Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Putin said Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor "convincingly" and asked the fighter's father not to punish him "too strictly" as a result.
While Nurmagomedov won with a fourth-round submission, the clash made plenty of headlines for the chaotic scene in the aftermath when the victor leapt over the cage and into the crowd to fight members of McGregor's corner.