Reports: Soccer Star Neymar Hires UFC Veteran Nordine Taleb as Bodyguard

Seven-time Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Nordine Taleb seems to have scored himself a potentially lucrative side gig.

According to multiple reports, the Canadian welterweight was hired by Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar as a bodyguard. Neymar recently signed a five-year deal with soccer club Paris Saint-Germain for an annual salary of $53 million, making him the highest paid player in the world. The soccer star was even pricier than that contract would indicate, as Paris Saint-Germain agreed to a then-record transfer fee of $263 million just to secure his services. Additionally, he has endorsement deals with the likes of Nike, Gillette, Panasonic and Beats by Dre, to name a few.

In short, Taleb has been tasked with protecting a valuable commodity. While the fighter hasn’t formally announced his role, he did post a picture of him next to Neymar on his Instagram account, and both The Sun and Bleacher Report have provided coverage of his possible side job.

The 36-year-old Taleb does not currently have a fight booked with the UFC. He last appeared at UFC Fight Night 109, where he took a three-round verdict against Oliver Enkamp on May 28. The Tristar Gym representative is 5-2 with the Las Vegas-based promotion and 13-4 over the course of a professional career that also includes a three-bout stint with Bellator MMA.

.avec @neymarjr #neymar #psg #football #soccer #sttropez #brasil #ufc #mma #bjj #cr7 #allthewayup

A post shared by Nordine taleb (@tnt__mma) on Aug 8, 2017 at 11:44am PDT