Soccer is a global sport that has captivated the hearts of many, whose popularity in the US has been growing consistently year-on-year. There are more and more Americans are falling in love with the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City and following the Premier League or the UEFA Champions League.
However, this growth is not only an American phenomenon. Billions of people around the world continue to fall in love with the beautiful game every year, and almost all of them have their favourite soccer team, including some of the biggest stars of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Let's take a look at these giants of mixed martial arts and the clubs they adore.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired in 2020 after defeating Justin Gaethje, is an avid soccer fan—his love for football dates back to his childhood. Khabib's admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo for example has long been well-documented on social media.
He cites Real Madrid as his favourite club alongside Spartak Moscow, and Anzhi Makhachkala of his native Russia.
Conor McGregor
Undoubtedly the biggest star on this list, who shattered PPV records in his fight with the aforementioned Khabib, Conor McGregor is a juggernaut.
As a lifelong soccer fan, he likes to follow teams with just as much prestige as himself. He names Manchester United and Celtic as his two favourite clubs, both of which are arguably the biggest in their respective countries of England and Scotland.
Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou or "The Predator" as he's known in the octagon, supports Premier League club Arsenal passionately. Despite moving to Las Vegas, where NHL games are more prevalent than Premier League matches, Ngannou still manages to watch the North London giants' games from time to time.
Stipe Miocic
Arguable heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic has one which will appear strange at first glance. The Cleveland native, of Croatian descent, loves soccer. While baseball has been his joy since childhood, especially following the Cleveland Indians, he has developed a huge love of the beautiful game.
The former UFC champion supports the Croatian national team when it competes in international tournaments, but shockingly also follows Premier League side West Ham United. He fell in love with the club after attending its club base at the invitation of former boss West Ham.
Michael Bisping
Former UFC middleweight champ Michael Bisping may have hung up his gloves in favour of the commentary booth but has certainly not handed in his Manchester United card.
Despite living stateside, Bisping still religiously follows Manchester United games from afar and remains a staunch supporter of the club.
José Aldo
A key candidate for UFC featherweight goat, Jose Aldo, dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player all of his life until he left that dream behind to pursue MMA at 16 years of age. He had and arguably has the skills to give that career a try, showing off his abilities at various charity matches alongside legends of the game.
When it comes to watching the beautiful game, Aldo follows his beloved Flamengo. He has hinted at wanting to pursue a football career, perhaps with his childhood love Flamengo, after his fighting days come to an end.
