UFC champ Khabib has beef for Russians with new launch

Fast food has become more popular in Russia since the pandemic

Khabib Nurmagomedov, a Russian mixed martial artist and former UFC champion, has founded a new chain of fast food restaurants called M-eat by Khabib, the athlete announced this weekend through a representative.

According to a statement, the fighter has already opened the first location of the franchise in the City of Capitals skyscraper in a business neighborhood of Moscow. The chain is managed by Nurmagomedov’s company M-eat Group Franchising, which is planning to open another 14 locations in Moscow by the end of May, and another 150 by the end of 2023, including in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and the UAE.

The restaurants will sell stewed meats of different kinds, including chicken, beef, and horse, served inside buns with various toppings. Nurmagomedov’s representative reported that the dish is called ‘Breadm-eat’, and that the company has secured a patent for the concoction. The spokesperson also shared that M-eat Group Franchising has plans to establish a factory in Russia to produce ingredients for the chain, and may end up selling its products in grocery stores in the future.

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Nurmagomedov, 33, is from the Republic of Dagestan in the Caucasus region of Russia, and is the most followed Russian on Instagram, with more than 32 million subscribers to his account as of December 2021. With 29 wins and no losses, he is widely regarded as the greatest lightweight in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA), and was ranked #1 at the time of his retirement in March 2021. He was the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, having held the title from April 2018 until he retired. He was the first Muslim to win a UFC title and has also worked as an MMA promoter.