It goes without saying that the former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the greatest MMA fighters to ever step foot inside the UFC octagon. ‘The Eagle’ fights out of Dagestan, Russia. However, Nurmagomedov is seen walking out with a Ukrainian flag in his fights before the UFC.
‘The Eagle’ was born in the village of Sildi in the Tsumadinsky District of the Dagestan ASSR, an autonomous republic within the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. He grew up and trained MMA under his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov in Dagestan. Later, he represented Russia on a global scale.
However, the Dagestani native also has some Ukrainian roots. Amidst the ongoing critical situation between Russia and Ukraine, a video of the former UFC champion is going viral.
In the video, Nurmagomedov is walking out with his father, the famous MMA combat Sambo coach, Abdulmanap, for his fight. Notably, ‘The Eagle is not wearing his signature Papakha. However, he has a Ukrainian flag on his shoulder.
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Surprisingly, the former UFC champion has strong Ukrainian roots. His father has completed his education in Ukraine. Furthermore, he won several sambo and judo tournaments in the same country.
Abdulmanap has also served in the Ukrainian army. Also, Khabib’s uncle won a judo championship for the Ukraine national team. Hence, all these factors explain the former UFC champion Nurmagomedov’s connection with Ukraine.
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‘The Eagle’ made his UFC debut in 2012. As soon as he entered the promotion, he started mauling his opponents and leapfrogged the division. He made a mark in the 155lbs of UFC with his dominant wins.
Later, he also won the UFC lightweight gold at UFC 223 in 2018. After becoming the UFC champion, Nurmagomedov defended his title three times by defeating some of the biggest names in the promotion.
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However, he retired from professional fighting forever in 2020 after the demise of his father. But he still continues to train his friends and teammates for their UFC careers.
Also, Nurmagomedov earned a fortune from his fights in the UFC, which he is now using wisely in his entrepreneurial ventures. He has also started his own MMA promotion, ‘The Eagle FC’ after retirement. All in all, Nurmagomedov is living a good life after the UFC.
What are your thoughts on Nurmagomedov’s legacy? What do you think of his old video? Let us know in the comments below.
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