BIOGRAPHY OF KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV
Khabib Nurmagomedov is a mixed martial arts fighter from Dagestan who received the nickname “Eagle” among athletes. He is a UFC lightweight champion. After the fight with Al Yakvinta in April 2018, the athlete became the first Russian ever in the UFC with a champion title.
CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE
Habib was born on September 20, 1988 in a traditional Avar family from the small Dagestan mountain village of Sildi. Almost all the local men were hereditary fighters, and Khabib’s relatives were no exception. His father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, is a master of sports in freestyle wrestling, his father’s brother is the 1992 world champion in sambo, his maternal uncle is a titled freestyle wrestler.
It is not surprising that both Khabib and his younger brother Abubakar followed in the footsteps of eminent relatives and from an early age were carried away by the struggle. Their first coach was the father, who almost from the cradle prepared his sons for the fighting ring. From the age of three, Khabib began to master elementary wrestling elements, and at five he already went out onto the carpet.
When the boy turned ten, the family moved to Makhachkala. There, the father had the opportunity to recruit his own group of talented young athletes, including Khabib.
SPORTS ACHIEVEMENTS AND FIGHTS
At 23, Nurmagomedov became the youngest Russian fighter in UFC history. The Americans immediately appreciated the skill of Habib and invited a promising athlete to their organization. From that moment on, the worthy son of the Avar people, nicknamed “Eagle”, held many fights in the main rings of the world, each of which ended in his triumph. The shepherd cap became the symbol of the fighter – so he expresses pride in his people and devotion to the traditions of the Avars.
The strongest rivals, such as Gleason Tibau (July 2012), Kamal Shalorus (January 2012), Thiago Tavares (January 2013), Habib was able to confidently knock out and defeat with the help of his “signature” asphyxiation.
The years 2014-15 were not easy for the athlete: he received several complex injuries and fell out of order, although he retained the status of undefeated. In 2016, he triumphantly returned to the ring, confidently defeating Darrell Horcher. The fight with Michael Johnson finally confirmed the high level of training of the Russian wrestler: the American underestimated the opponent and was defeated in the third round. The judge was forced to stop the fight, since Habib used a painful technique – Johnson could not even ask to stop the fight.
Several times the battle of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson was disrupted. They were supposed to meet in the ring in the summer of 2014, but the plans were thwarted by a Russian injury. In April 2016, the meeting did not take place due to Ferguson’s injury. The fight was postponed to March 2017 – and again a failure: before weighing in, Habib was hospitalized with suspected kidney stones.
A lot of hype arose around the battle of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, the daring Irishman nicknamed “unreal.” Immediately after the victory over Michael Johnson, not yet descending from the ring, Nurmagomedov challenged him to a duel, calling him an “Irish chicken.” McGregor did not practice the thrashtok, but hinted that Nurmagomedov still needs to be earned a fight with him. However, in the summer of 2017, he changed his mind. In full preparation for the fight against boxer Floyd Mayweiser (and according to the rules of boxing), he still expressed a desire with the offender in Russia. Habib later said in an interview that the probability of their meeting in December 2017 is very high.
However, on December 30, 2017, Nurmagomedov met in the ring not with McGregor, but with Edson Barboza, a fighter from Rio de Janeiro. The father of the Russian athlete noted that Barbosa is a great drummer, but by the second round, “everything will fall into place.” And so it happened, and the advantage of Habib was already evident in the first round. In the third round, the Brazilian, bravely standing to the end, fell, and Nurmagomedov was credited with the 9th victory in the UFC and the 25th – for the entire sports career.
The fight with McGregor, which nevertheless took place on October 6, 2018, ended with the victory of the Dagestan. In the first round, Habib was the advantage, using a proprietary fight grab. The Irishman lay on the floor for almost all 5 minutes. The second round was also led by Nurmagomedov. In the third round, the fighters met in the rack, McGregor delivered several blows to the opponent, but it was clear that he was exhausted.
On April 7, 2018, Habib was supposed to finally meet in the ring with Tony Ferguson, but the fight was again canceled. This time through the fault of Tony – he was injured. The fact that instead of Ferguson in the ring against him will come Al Yakvinta, Nurmagomedov learned the day before the fight. The fight ended with the victory of Nurmagomedov (although Al survived all 5 rounds, and Khabib failed to finish the fight ahead of time) and the athlete was awarded the lightweight champion belt. Thus, he became the first Russian MMA fighter to win the UFC championship title.
PERSONAL LIFE OF KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV
Khabib professes Islam, does not drink, does not smoke, regularly makes a pilgrimage with his brother to Mecca and strictly observes all the basic commandments of the Koran, including not conducting fights during Ramadan.
He tries not to dedicate anyone into his personal life, therefore, until now, those around him have not seen the face of his wife Patimat, carefully hidden behind a dense burqa.
He met Patimat Habib in his school years. Even then, feelings arose between the young people, but circumstances did not work out in the most prosperous way. By the age of 23, Habib, then still a beginner UFC fighter, figured out his feelings and asked Patimat for his hands from her older relatives. In 2013, lovers played a wedding. She spends all the time at home, brings up her daughter (born 2015) and two sons (2017 and 2019) and prays to Allah for the success and prosperity of her famous husband.
Latest
In April 2020, the battle of Nurmagomedov and Ferguson was planned, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, it did not take place. And after the defeat of Fegryuson in the battle with Justin Gatzhi, a new rival appeared in the Dagestan. In April, Habib’s father and chief mentor was hospitalized with pneumonia. Later it turned out that he had become infected with a coronavirus. At first he was treated in Dagestan, but local experts could not choose the right tactics, and Abdulmanap was transferred to Moscow. On May 13, the media reported that the coach fell into a coma, even relatives were not allowed to see him.
