Imagine being so rich, you can just flee your tax debt … must be nice.
Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov reportedly owes more than 300 million roubles (around $3.3 million USD) to the Russian tax collection agency, Federal Tax Service, after the organization discovered discrepancies with some of the businesses the 35-year-old owns, according to a report from EssentiallySports.
As a result, the Federal Tax Service issued a full audit of the multiple companies “The Eagle” has ownership of, or at the very least has either a seat on the board or stakes in the brand. And it appears that Nurmagomedov has switched up his nationality in response, according to EssentiallySports’ sources.
The sources claim that Khabib Nurmagomedov has given up his Russian citizenship in favor of United Arab Emirates (UAE) citizenship, but there hasn’t been any confirmation or denial as of yet from the fighter or his team. While it’s extremely difficult to get UAE citizenship, the nation does provide it to people with “exceptional talents in sports,” which would obviously apply to “The Eagle.”
On top of that, Khabib Nurmagomedov also has a prior connection to the UAE, with a Khabib-inspired gym located in Abu Dhabi — the gym is by Palms Sports.
Though the citizenship rumors haven’t been confirmed or denied, Nurmagomedov’s team did release a statement about his alleged tax problems.
“The information about tax debt is inaccurate. Khabib continues to engage in business projects and develop them,” claimed his camp, per a report from TAFF via EssentiallySports.
We’ll see what happens, but we’ve got an interesting little story developing here.