Storm erupts as former UFC champ rejects host's handshake

News.com.au

02-06-2025

This is the awkward moment UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov refused to shake the hand of CBS Sports presenter Kate Abdo.
Abdo was working for the broadcaster alongside the 'terrible trio' of football legends Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards for the Champions League final in Munich on Sunday morning.
The match ended in a record-breaking defeat as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Inter Milan 5-0.
The quartet was joined by special guest Nurmagomedov, and popular streamer IShowSpeed immediately after the final whistle.
Nurmagomedov embraced each member of the crew before Abdo, 43, held out her hand in a greeting, The Sun reports.
However, the MMA fighter declined the offer by holding his hand on his chest instead, with Abdo quickly reclining it and offering an apology as she welcomed him to the show.
The reason for this is due to the 36-year-old's religious beliefs as a devout Sunni Muslim.
In Islam, it is a forbidden to touch a member of the opposite sex that they are not related to.
A similar incident occurred back in 2020 with fellow MMA fighter Cynthia Calvillo, who revealed that Nurmagomedov refused to directly train with her.
You can watch the incident in the video player above.
She explained to theScore: 'It's a little bit weird because of their religion... they won't train with women.
'(Khabib) is still showing technique and stuff like that. So I still get to watch it.
'But it doesn't bother me … because they're not really being directly rude to me.'
Fans on social media praised Abdo's response to the awkward exchange with the Dagestani native.
One user said: 'Mad respect to Kate for understanding afterwards and issuing an apology.'
Another said: 'Massive respect to Kate for understanding Khabib's decision and not making a fuss of it in front of other pundits.'
A third added: 'Love how Khabib respectfully declined Kate's handshake and she respected his approach. Love that from both of them.'
However, there has also been social media criticism of Nurmagomedov's public display — and for Henry, who embraced the Russian fighter in a hug immediately after Scott's handshake was rejected.
The incident was triggering for some users of social media after Nurmagomedov infamously posted a message on social media threatening French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron in 2020 condemned the murder of French school teacher Samuel Paty, who was attacked and killed by an Islamic terrorist after showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his students.
Nurmagomedov then shared a message on social media accusing Macron of 'offending the feelings of more than 1.5 billion Muslim believers'.
He wrote: 'May the Almighty disfigure the face of this creature and all its followers, who, under the slogan of freedom of speech, offend the feelings of more than one and a half billion Muslim believers.
'May the Almighty humiliate them in this life, and in the next. Allah is quick in calculation and you will see it.'
It's one of the reasons a social media storm has erupted about Henry's behaviour.
One person posted: 'After refusing to shake hands with the female TV presenter, Thierry Henry should have refused to welcome Khabib Nurmagomedov. It would have been a powerful act'.
Another person posted in French: 'Does Thierry Henry, who is greeting him, know that he was delighted by the beheading of Samuel Paty?'
Once the handshake drama was cleared, Abdo asked the retired UFC fighter who he was supporting tonight, revealing he was there in support of PSG - despite him previously describing himself as a Real Madrid fan.
In another crossover that nobody would have had on their Champions League bingo card, IShowSpeed was playfully confronted by Nurmagomedov about them possibly having a race or fight.
Carragher, who hilariously tried resorting to cheating when he lost a race against Speed - real name Darren Hawkins - asked Nurmagomedov: 'Do you think you could beat Speed in a fight or a race?'
Nurmagomedov said he would be humble and conceded that Speed had the better of him in running, but declared he could easily outdo him in football IQ, before joking: 'Don't forget, between us there is nobody right now.'
Abdo then suggested that Richards, ever the brunt of a few jokes on the show, was the 'arm wrestling champion' of CBS.
However, before the presenter - who married boxer Malik Scott last year - could finish her sentence, the ex-England international said: 'No thank you.'
Before the match itself, Abdo was subbed out of presenting duties by colleague Anita Nneka Jones, joking she had 'other friends waiting for me tonight'.
As Henry, Richards and Carragher groaned, Abdo pointed at Jones and added: 'Look who's coming!'
Carra shouted 'Anita!' before screaming as footage showed Abdo's pals David Beckham and Tom Cruise hanging out the Allianz Arena.
Abdo then waved as she walked off set, adding: 'Bye, bye, bye.'
Richards asked 'Is it a substitution then?' - with Abdo pausing.
The former Manchester City star then guffawed as Peter Schmeichel held the fourth official's board to announce the substitution.
Richards turned to Jones and bellowed: 'Finally some real funny in the studio.'