SUMMARY
- Eagle FC was a competitor for UFC and Bellator from Khabib Nurmagomedov after his acquisition of Gorilla FC.
- Eagle FC signed Diego Sanchez and Kevin Lee as fighters and was on its way to becoming a very big competitor to the bigger promotions.
In a press conference in Miami, Khabib Nurmagomedov, ahead of Eagle Fighting Championship’s (Eagle FC) U.S. debut, declared Eagle FC 44 on Jan. 28, 2022, marked their emergence as a formidable competitor to the UFC and Bellator. Khabib, the former UFC Lightweight champion cautioned, “Big organizations like the UFC, Bellator, they have to be careful with their fighters because Eagle FC is here.”
Following through on his words, Khabib signed Diego Sanchez and Kevin Lee for Eagle FC 46 on March 11, 2022, and former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos for Eagle FC 47. Despite the promising start, the May 2022 event was Eagle FC’s final one in the U.S. This event was followed up with 4 more events with the last one being on December 10, 2022, before the promotion was confronted with their biggest obstacle.
Trouble arose in January 2023 when Khabib announced stepping back to prioritize family, signaling the beginning of the promotion’s decline. The MMA organization saw 3 more events in 2023, with the last one, Eagle FC 54, happening on November 11, 2023.
Khabib acquired the Gorilla Fighting Championship in 2020, and rebranded it as Eagle FC, he then assumed the roles of promoter and financier, appointing cousin Shamil Zavurov as president. Zavurov acknowledged the promotion’s dependence on Khabib, stating, “Eagle FC depends on Khabib. So Eagle FC will go on. We will push it forward.” Unfortunately, Zavurov’s concerns materialized, marking the organization’s rapid demise.
Did Khabib give up on Eagle FC? The last fight was in 2022.
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Furthermore, according to many netizens, Covid played a big part in the downfall of the MMA organisation. Also with tensions rising due to the Russia-Ukraine war throughout 2022 and carrying on into 2023, and the promotion being a Russian business it was severely affected by the sanctions on Russia after the Ukrainian war. They were met with many closed doors when it came to countries siding against Russia.
Eagle FC president’s views on Khabib leaving the MMA industry
In early 2023, reports surfaced indicating Khabib Nurmagomedov’s departure from MMA, citing a focus on family, as conveyed by Shamil Zavurov, Eagle FC’s president and Khabib’s cousin. Zavurov later clarified to Sambo Says that media sensationalism had blown the situation out of proportion.
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Zavurov highlighted that Khabib, in a meeting with the team, explained his constant travel for competitions and training camps over the past year, leading him to reassess his priorities. Khabib expressed a desire to spend more time with his family, emphasizing to the team that they remain united and supportive of each other.
“So he explained to the guys that they all still had the team. Nothing has changed. We will still help and support each other as before. Just Khabib won’t be going everywhere. He’s going to be spending a bit more time with his family. That’s all it is,” clarified Zavurov.
Concerning Eagle FC’s future, Zavurov acknowledged its reliance on Khabib but affirmed their commitment to moving the promotion forward. He stressed the need to be cautious about Khabib’s time commitments, stating, “But if Eagle FC begins to take up a lot of his time, then of course the next day he’ll tell us ‘Hey guys, sorry but this isn’t what I told the team I’d be stepping aside for.’ So we’ll have to tread carefully.”
In conclusion, Zavurov underscored the significance of Khabib’s presence for the promotion, stating, “But Eagle FC is a promotion. It would be difficult without Khabib. Not even difficult…it would fall apart. So we asked him to stay with us for now.”
Too bad for Zavurov, as that was exactly what happened. Without Khabib as the promotion’s face, and with COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, the promotion plummetted to an eventual abyss. What are your views on Eagle FC? Would you like Khabib to revive the promotion once again? Tell us in the comments below.