Khabib Nurmagomedov is predicting a surprise winner at this year’s FIFA World Cup.

The former UFC lightweight champion made his name in the octagon, but football has always been a big part of his life. Nurmagomedov even considered going pro in football before choosing to focus on fighting.

Even though he became known for what he accomplished inside the cage, that’s not the only sport Khabib has a passion for. And with the tournament taking place across North America, he recently shared who he thinks could pull off a shock win.

Back in 2021, Dana White made it clear he’s not a fan of football, but millions across the globe will be watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and most have their eyes on a familiar group of contenders.

The discussion around potential winners usually revolves around half a dozen teams. Some are backing Argentina to defend their title, while others think Brazil are ready to reclaim their place at the top. There’s also talk about England finally ending their long wait since 1966, though it’s hard to ignore just how strong France looks this year.

Spain and Portugal complete the list of usual suspects expected to be in the mix. But Khabib Nurmagomedov is looking elsewhere. The retired fighter is putting his money on Germany, who are just outside that top group, to make a statement.

Why Khabib Nurmagomedov is picking Germany over the World Cup favourites

“Who will win the World Cup? Germany,” he said during an interview with okko.sport. “I am not rooting for them, but I think Germany is the number one favourite.”

He also put forward two other sides he thinks could challenge: “I would put the Netherlands in second and Spain in third.”

Khabib’s choice isn’t without reason. After all, they opened Group E with a convincing 7-1 win over Curacao. That leaves matches against the Ivory Coast and Ecuador still to come in what looks like a manageable group stage for them.

The former champion has more than just football on his plate these days, too. With Islam Makhachev set to defend his welterweight belt against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 on August 15th in Philadelphia, there’ll be plenty of work for Khabib back inside training camps as well as following events outside them.

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It was hyped as the biggest event in UFC history — one that was expected to break every combat sports record.

And while UFC Freedom 250 did break company records — it was the biggest exclusive live event in Paramount+ history, peaking with 17 million viewers — it actually fell a little short of the numbers Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card did just weeks before.

Rousey-Carano also peaked with 17 million viewers and averaged 9.3 million viewers, well ahead of the Freedom 250 card, which averaged 8.2 million viewers.

Those ratings caught a lot of attention on social media, and it prompted a snarky response from Rousey herself about the UFC’s super card failing to upstage her farewell fight.

“Lmao! Kiss my [expletive] (UFC matchmaker) Hunter Campbell 😜,” Rousey posted on X.

Rousey hasn’t been shy in calling out the UFC since she left the company years ago. She’s still on friendly terms with president Dana White, but that hasn’t stopped Rousey from taking public shots at her former employer any chance she gets.

While MVP’s ratings are an impressive feat, they were likely inflated due to the immense hype around Rousey’s possible retirement fight and Carano’s return. The 44-year-old Carano hadn’t fought in 17 years after suffering her first career loss to Cyborg Santos back in 2009.

Rousey finished Carano via armbar in just 17 seconds in their main event fight back in May. It pushed her MMA record to 13-2 and snapped a two-fight losing streak.

The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer cut her teeth in Strikeforce but became a household name in the UFC, compiling a 6-2 record with women’s bantamweight championship wins over Liz Carmouche, Miesha Tate , Sara McMann, Alexis Davis, Cat Zingano, and Bethe Correia.

Israel Adesanya recently offered Arman Tsarukyan some public advice about his career choices.

Speaking in a YouTube video alongside Demetrious Johnson, the former middleweight champion said Tsarukyan should rethink how often he appears with streamers.

Adesanya argued that the 29-year-old cannot regularly hang out with influencers like Sneako, N3on and Nina Marie-Daniele if he wants to reach the top of the sport. His point was that title contenders need to stay locked in.

But whoever dishes it out has to know how to take it too. Tsarukyan did not ignore the advice, and his reply came with a sharp swipe back at ‘The Last Stylebender’.

Arman Tsarukyan fires back at Israel Adesanya on stream

Tsarukyan responded while appearing on Nina Drama’s stream this Friday.

He said: “When I have a fight, I like to be locked in, but when I don’t have a fight, I don’t like it. I don’t have fights coming up, so I can chill and enjoy my life. It’s better than drinking, Adesanya. It’s better to stream than drink.”

That final line appeared to reference Adesanya’s 2023 drink-driving case in New Zealand.

The former UFC champion pleaded guilty after being caught driving with excess alcohol in his system, before later receiving a discharge without conviction.

The exchange lands at an important moment for Tsarukyan, as Justin Gaethje has beaten Ilia Topuria, and the Armenian remains the number one contender at lightweight.

Despite that context, he does not appear likely to take Adesanya’s advice. For now, Tsarukyan’s message is clear: when he is not about to fight, he believes streaming is harmless.

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