Coffeezilla – the popular YouTuber and “Internet Detective” covering crypto scams – is now accusing the mixed martial arts legend Khabib Nurmagomedov of “scamming” his followers with NFTs.
The former UFC lightweight champion said his new collection will give fans access his his “private club,” while enabling holders to mine Bitcoin.
Khabib’s NFT Collection
Nurmagomedov launched his NFT collection in partnership with GoMining, for whom he became an ambassador in October 2021. The company’s goal is to provide Bitcoin mining industry access to regular consumers, by rewarding holders of its GMT tokens and custom NFTs with BTC mined from its data centers.
“You will soon be able to buy NFT, which will become a pass to my private club and will mine BTC for you,” tweeted Nurmagomedov on Monday.
According to the project’s website, each NFT will function as a ticket to private events held by Nurmagomedov “several times a year.” It states that each NFT is backed by 29 terahashes per second of computing power, with an energy efficiency of 35 watts per terahash – making it the most profitable of the company’s NFTs.
The 29 TH/s hash rate is a reference to Khabib’s historic 29-0 record in professional mixed martial arts. The ex-champion scored 13 wins in the UFC before ultimately retiring from the sport, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
Given that Khabib is returning to NFT deals, however, Coffeezilla suggested that the martial artist return to the cage:
“If you need money this bad, why not step back in the ring instead of scamming your fans?” he asked.
Coffeezilla called out the YouTuber Logan Paul for his flopped NFT venture in December, accusing Paul of having defrauded his followers. While Paul initially intended to sue Coffee over the allegations, he has since withdrawn his claims and apologized to his fans.
UFC and Crypto
Nurmagomedov’s announcement makes him just one of the dozens of celebrities, athletes, and professional fighters to leverage his brand to sell digital collectibles. Ethernity chain launched an NFT collection on behalf of Anderson Silva in 2021 – widely regarded as the best middleweight MMA fighter of all time.
The UFC has been closely involved in promoting various crypto initiatives, including the L1 smart contract platform VeChain and the cryptocurrency exchange CryptoCom. Last May, the popular UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan suggested that the U.S. government may actually fear Bitcoin.
Featured Image Courtesy of CNN.