Nusret Gökçe is one of the most recognisable ‘celebrity’ chefs on the planet. Better known by his moniker ‘Salt Bae,’ he became famous after footage of him went viral. In short, Salt Bae uses a unique technique to sprinkle salt on his steaks. The method somehow manages to look ridiculous and charismatic at the same time.
The Turkish chef manages 12 Nusr-Et steakhouses worldwide, with the majority across the Middle East. Since becoming popular he’s attracted many celebrities including soccer players to his establishments. The actual quality of the food has been questioned by critics who have called it dinner theatre and overpriced.
However, Salt Bae may not be in the restaurant business for too much longer. He is planning on making his MMA debut because everybody is these days. The Turkish chef even has a couple of opponents in mind and he’s looking straight at the top of the UFC’s lightweight division. That’s right, Khabib Nurmagamedov and Conor McGregor.
Workout
In the clip above you can see him doing a workout in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He’s training with the President of Uzbekistan’s MMA governing body and looks to be in great condition. He even does a dumbbell version of his special salt sprinkling technique. It’s remarkable really. Salt Bae explained:
“You know I am normally a butcher, but also I like sport. Every morning, I wake up early, first I do sport then all day working. Of course, sport is very important. Also, you know, foods, protein, meat, very important for a sportsman.”
It’s worth mentioning that some very successful athletes don’t eat meat at all. The Diaz brothers and Venus Williams are just some of the world’s most high-profile vegan athletes.
Fast Hands
You can see from the clip above that Salt Bae has fast hands. However, good pad-holders can make you look so much better than you are. Also, the Turk has his head held higher than a giraffe. That chin is more exposed than Bill Clinton’s encounter with Monica Lewinsky. Don’t expect that to hold him back though. He wants another 15 minutes of fame and called out UFC fighters Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagamedov. The chef said:
“McGregor, Khabib, everybody, I am ready. I respect too much but one day if you invite me, I am ready for fighting.”
He’d probably still beat CM Punk.
Real Fights
Celebrity fights are becoming increasingly popular. Internet stars KSI and Logan Paul changed the game with their Youtube exploits. They even headlined a boxing card with real title fights on the undercard. However, the same thing hasn’t really happened in MMA just yet. We’ve seen WWE stars cross over but generally, it hasn’t gone well for them. It turns out that getting punched is tough.
Anyway, Salt Bae can rest easy because McGregor and Khabib look busy for the foreseeable future. The Irishman will fight Donald Cerrone in February while Khabib is set to finally take on Tony Ferguson. Imagine if it did happen though. What a strange world it is that we’re even talking about this.
