Fans have weighed in on Khabib Nurmagomedov 's appearance after appeared to look as big as UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Nurmagomedov has piled on weight since vacating his lightweight title and retiring from fighting last year.
'The Eagle' promised his mother he would not fight again following the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap, in 2020.
Despite UFC boss Dana White's best efforts to keep him around, Nurmagomedov made the last defence of his belt against Justin Gaethje and retired from the sport with a record of 29-0.
Competing at 155lb for the entirety of his UFC career, fans have noticed that Nurmagomedov looked the same size as Usman as they launched the former's new MMA promotion Eagle FC.
"Looks bigger than Usman. Wish they would fight but Khabib don't want that smoke," one user wrote.
Another commenter questioned the angle of the video, writing: "Is it an angle thing, like is he sitting closer to the camera? Or does Khabib have a monstrous dome."
Nurmagomedov revealed he would weigh around 175lbs on the night of his fights, putting on 20lbs in a day after successfully making weight.
But whilst pictured next to Usman - who likely weighs around 190lbs out of fight camp - Nurmagomedov looks the same size as the champion.
"Khabib could have fought at 170 and maybe even become champ even tho beating usman and colby would be far more difficult than the strikers at 155," another user wrote
"Khabib is on that retirement burger diet. To make 155 he has to stay lean year round. He's probably 200 pounds there," a fourth added.
And a final commenter hilariously put: "Yeah it looks like he ate Nick Diaz".
The Russian will go from fighter to promoter when he hosts the inaugural event of Eagle FC this Saturday in Miami.
He purchased the promotion for $1million following his retirement from MMA and has since signed former UFC fighters such as Rashad Evans, Kevin Lee and Ray Borg.
What are your thoughts on Khabib Nurmagomedov's weight gain? Let us know in the comments section below
There's no doubt about Nurmagomedov's dominance during his fighting days, but his legacy as the 'GOAT' has been brought into question since retiring.
UFC president Dana White admitted it's hard to call Nurmagomedov the greatest fight ever because he retired at the peak of his career.
And White ranked welterweight champion Usman as the best current fighter in the UFC.
“Right now, I think Kamaru Usman is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, what he’s accomplished in the past few years is amazing," White told The Fight with Teddy Atlas.
“I think Khabib Nurmagomedov probably could be called the greatest ever, who knows, if he’d stuck around longer. It was unfortunate, the passing of his father."
