Vladimir Putin sympathised with Khabib Nurmagomedov after the undefeated fighter jumped out of the octagon and started a brawl following his win over Conor McGregor in 2018.
Following Nurmagomedov's victory, he jumped into the crowd in Las Vegas and began fighting with McGregor's teammate Dillon Danis, while a number of the Russian's team attacked the Dubliner inside the octagon.
Putin congratulated his fellow countryman following the UFC 229 bout, saying: “Anyone could have jumped [out of the octagon] in the same way.
“If we are attacked from the outside, not only you, we could all jump in such a way … there could be hell to pay.”
But Putin added: "It’s better not to reach that stage."
Nurmagomedov apologised for his actions and said to Putin when they met that his father and trainer, the recently-deceased Abdulmanap, would likely “smash" him when he returned home.
Putin responded: "I will ask your father not to punish you too strictly, because you achieved the main task, worthily and convincingly."
Meanwhile, McGregor was warned not to put his arm around Putin when he met the Russian President at the 2018 World Cup final in Moscow.
The Dubliner posed for a photo with the Russian leader but was told as he did so not to put his arm on Mr Putin's shoulder. A clip of the meeting was shared on McGregor's Mac Life website.
McGregor quickly took his arm away as his facial expression changed before he held his two hands in front of himself for a snap prior to France's 4-2 win over Croatia.
He later uploaded pictures on Instagram and described Mr Putin as "one of the greatest leaders of our time".
He posted: "Today I was invited to the World Cup final as a guest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"This man is one of the greatest leaders of our time and I was honored to attend such a landmark event alongside him.
"Today was an honor for me Mr. Putin. Thank you and congratulations on an amazing World Cup."
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