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Khabib Nurmagomedov has advised fellow Russian fighters to avoid doping at all costs. The 32-year-old retired mixed martial artist called it a "psychological weakness" to consume something extra when people don't trust their own powers.
Speaking to the media in Russia, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who hung up his boots in October 2020 after UFC 254, claimed that active sportspeople should spend a lot more time at the gym so that they can lead a life without doping.
"I have passed (almost) 50 doping tests since 2015. I advise others to be (like me) too. Someone takes something, I do not really follow. I think it is some psychological weakness. When a person is not sure in his own powers and wants to replace them with something. My doping is to train, to sleep, to eat, and repeat. It must be a lifestyle. But I am not an active athlete. My opinion is that sportsmen must live in a gym, every morning and evening. Don't do doping," said Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Watch the video of Khabib discussing doping below:
There is no doping control in Russian MMA leagues and fighters from the country have struggled to cope with the stringent regulations in the UFC.
Moreover, Russia is known for doping controversies. The nation was recently given a two-year ban from world events by WADA for an alleged state-sponsored program.
Why was Khabib Nurmagomedov asked about doping in UFC?
In February 2015, UFC collaborated with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to implement a strict anti-doping program. This made the Dana White-led promotion the first MMA organization in the world with drug testing similar to that of Olympic athletes.
On Monday, Liliya Shakirova of Uzbekistan accepted a two-year ban after testing positive for the banned substance Meldonium. Since 2015, many top fighters, including titleholders, have been sanctioned for failing drug tests.
Over the years, former UFC champions like T.J. Dillashaw, who recently returned at UFC Vegas 32, Fabricio Werdum, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida have all been penalized by USADA for doping-related violations.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, has never failed a single doping test out of the 47 he took during his MMA career.
