If you wonder what kind of a father forces his son to wrestle a bear – you have the answer. The one that wants to make a fearless and tough fighter from his child. This is the Khabib Nurmagomedov life story. How successful it is? – it’s up to you to work that out.
The most interesting fact about fighters that come from the mountainous region of the Caucasus is that they are born strong. It is like the fierce weather and brutal living conditions are forging them into people with inhumane strength and iron will. While most nine-year-old children around the world were playing on their fancy PlayStations, PCs, or X-Boxes, children in the poor hills of Dagestan were running, rock climbing, training, and in one particular case, bear wrestling.
Khabib Nurmagomedov – Rise To Stardom – Did He Fulfil His Father’s Plan, Or He Walked Away Too Early?
There is one saying that instantly comes to mind when speaking about Khabib Nurmagomedov. It goes like this – ‘Tough times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men, and weak men create tough times’. This is the loop of nature. And Khabib Nurmagomedov found himself in tough times, so he was forced to become a strong man.
The Republic of Dagestan is a Russian country located in the north Caucasus, at the bottom of the hills, near the Caspian Sea. It is a country that is ‘rich’ with more than 30 ethnic groups and 81 nationalities. The area is at ‘peace’ for the last 30 years only. Before that, the centuries were filled with wars, and clashes and the country has been a center of conflicts, war, and revolutions. When there were no outside conflicts and threats, Dagestan nurtured organized crime, and the battles and conflicts came from the inside. The living conditions were not good, and that created tough men. They struggle to survive one day at a time and fill their days with manual labor work, training in combat sports, and outside activities.
This explains why the Russian fighters that we see in combat sports are categorically one of the toughest and fiercest. They have a major advantage when it comes to violence and savagery, as they have been raised in such conditions, and that is their everyday life. Khabib Nurmagomedov is no exception.
To start with, Khabib Nurmagomedov began his career in the Spartan-like training camp where he was basically raised and developed as a fighter, and as a man. He developed his skills in wrestling, Judo, and sambo while living with 15 other boys and training twice a day. Throughout the whole process, Khabib Nurmagomedov is overseen by his father who doesn’t go easy on him and treats him the same way he treats the other boys training with him.
Combining his immense experience with combat sports with the military life he forced upon his trainees, people value Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov as the perfect man to create murderous combat machines. His philosophy revolves around discipline. Discipline and punishment. The more disciplined the trainees are, the better they will get. And the more they obey their trainer, the less they will receive punishment in the form of labor work, starvation, and beatings.
“There were a lot of punishments. I said to my father that I didn’t want to study, and he punished me. When he explained it to me in words, I didn’t understand. However, with fists, I understood immediately.” – Khabib Nurmagomedov recalled a situation where he stood up to his father.
This type of punishment and these living conditions seem like a nightmare. However, in Abdulmanap’s mind, it is all for the greater good. Furthermore, in most regions of the world, this is seen as barbaric and extreme. But for people living in Dagestan, it’s the normal way of raising children. And I can also gain the courage that Abdulmanap did what he did with good intentions. In a society where people are not presented with vast options when it comes to careers, one must take every measure needed to push his children to the right path. He certainly didn’t want his son to become a criminal, join a paramilitary organization, or become someone who can’t look after himself. That’s why he decided to give him everything he needs to deal with the brutal surroundings of the Caucasus. Khabib Nurmagomedov understood this and obeyed.
“It’s shameful to offend the father or an elder. If you are punished, it means that you deserved it.” – Khabib Nurmagomedov said. “My main motivation is my father. He invested a lot of time into me. He brought me up and made a man out of me. His happy face after the fight is the best reward for me. I cannot let him down.”
Abdulmanap put Khabib Nurmagomedov in the toughest conditions imaginable throughout his training. According to Khabib Nurmagomedov, he did this to break him mentally or push him to reach that next level of endurance or strength.
Abdulmanap forged Khabib Nurmagomedov to become this man that cannot live without training, and without being put through tough situations. Take for example the time when he explained how it is to spend time resting while he had an injury.
“It was like someone takes you and puts you in jail. Like you are in isolation.” – Khabib Nurmagomedov said after the injury.
This explains how Khabib Nurmagomedov relates to the world. Without training and without martial arts and violence his world is non-existent.
Khabib Nurmagomedov started his MMA career in 2008. He scored his first win against Vusal Bayramov at the CSFU championship league tournament. He started off his career with a victory by a triangle choke, something that will become his trademark throughout his MMA career. MMA fans immediately knew that they are witnessing someone extraordinary. His dominance, his strength, and skill were unquestionably at a top level.
After his first win, he shocked the MMA audience in Russia, when he managed to win three MMA bouts in a single day. He made a jump to a 4-0 with one hour break in between his last three fights. This kick-started his career, and he went through every opponent he faced from this point on like a hot knife in butter.
He eventually caught the eye of Dana White, and in 2012, he entered the UFC promotion with a professional record of 16-0. Dana White didn’t have a doubt that Khabib will have great success in the UFC as well.
His debut match in the UFC was against Kamal Shalorus. Khabib Nurmagomedov went into the octagon and fought Shalorus cautiously. He took his time and waited for the perfect moment. In the third round, he saw an opening and took advantage of it, locking Shalorus in a triangle choke, scoring his first win in the promotion.
From this point on, it is all the same. He won against Gleison Tibau, Thiago Tavares, Rafael Dos Anjos, Pat Healy, and Abel Trujillo with ease. He scored several decision wins, several KOs, and one submission – breaking a few records in the UFC along the way.
When he clashed with Abel Trujillo in 2013, Khabib Nurmagomedov broke the UFC record for most takedowns. He took Trujillo down 21 times. He had 27 total attempts.
This is the point in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s career, where things get a little bit complicated. He challenged Gilbert Melendez, but the match didn’t reach fruition. He received a new opponent, the famous Nate Diaz, however, this didn’t reach fruition as well.
Khabib Nurmagomedov ended up being a fighter with an undisputed MMA record that couldn’t find himself an opponent. Right when the UFC decided to match him up with someone, Khabib Nurmagomedov suffered a knee injury. This caused time off from fighting for a period of a whole year.
In 2016, Khabib Nurmagomedov made his comeback in the UFC and reminded everyone of who he is, when he dominated the newcomer Darren Horchell and won by a TKO. In a matter of months, Khabib Nurmagomedov took on Michael Johnson, hoping to secure his title shot after this win.
Looking at it now, Khabib Nurmagomedov owes much of his popularity to the Michael Johnson fight. This is the point where he caught the eye of the UFC audience. Khabib Nurmagomedov’s disadvantage regarding quickness and reach was on display in the first round. He looked like the underdog in the fight, but one thing was evident – this fighter doesn’t know how to back off. Despite Michael Johnson’s fierce and heavy blows, Khabib Nurmagomedov pushed forward and eventually took him to the ground.
The ground is Khabib’s territory. Michael Johnson absorbed very brutal ground-and-pound shots and the outcome was already clear. This continued in the second and the third round, where Michael Johnson finally gave up and let Khabib submit him in a merciful kimura.
A video from the ground and pound shots got viral where Khabib tells Michael Johnson to give up. He tells him that he doesn’t want to continue beating him and that he must get that title shot.
“Let’s go get up. Get up, Michael.” – Khabib Nurmagomedov told his opponent to get up if he wants to last the round. “You have to give up. I need to fight for the title, you know this I deserve. You agree? Everybody agree with this.” – he continued while pounding Michael in the head. “Hey, I need fight for the title. Give up Michael!”
Despite Khabib Nurmagomedov’s plans, the UFC didn’t give him a title shot straight away. Instead, he faced Edson Barboza at UFC 219.
Edson Barboza, like everybody before him, thought that he has an edge against Khabib Nurmagomedov because he is an explosive striker. He thought of himself as a difficult challenge for Khabib. However, as soon as the fight started, it was clear that his predictions won’t become reality. Nurmagomedov showed pure dominance and strength since the beginning of the fight. He shot directly for a takedown, succeeded, and remained on the ground for the whole three rounds. The judge scorecards were identical. They all recognized Khabib Nurmagomedov’s domination.
The UFC didn’t have any other option than to give Khabib Nurmagomedov what he desired the most. His shot at the UFC lightweight title. However, the current lightweight champion, Conor McGregor took a hiatus from MMA. He went off to pursue a money fight in boxing. Tony Ferguson was the man that held the interim belt.
Ferguson withdrew from the fight due to injury. Khabib Nurmagomedov’s hopes for a title shot crumbled. However, almost instantly, the UFC decided to rescue the situation. They offered the fight to the featherweight champion Max Holloway. Without a question, he accepted to fight for the lightweight belt against the undefeated Khabib.
What happened in between the promotion of the fight against Max Holloway, paved the path to stardom for Khabib. Behind the scenes, he entered into a beef with one of Conor McGregor’s teammates, Artem Lobov, allegedly slapping him.
The happening got to Conor McGregor and he raided the UFC bus, throwing ladders and trolleys – breaking one of the glasses. That’s how the iconic beef between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov was born.
Just as UFC built the hype about the fight against Max Holloway, something unexpected came up. UFC removed Max Holloway from the matchup due to medical issues, leaving Khabib Nurmagomedov without an opponent 24 hours before the event.
The UFC arranged an immediate substitution for Max Holloway, and Khabib ended up obtaining the interim UFC lightweight belt with a win over Al Iaquinta. Surprisingly, the new fighter managed to last all five rounds and suffered a defeat by a unanimous decision.
Finally, Khabib Nurmagomedov had what he dreamed of. Throughout the chaos that surrounded his path to the title, Khabib Nurmagomedov managed to achieve his goal. He was the UFC lightweight champion. However, the fight that followed after this is the one that launched Khabib Nurmagomedov straight to stardom.
The first title defense for Khabib Nurmagomedov is the one that broke all UFC records. People that had only the slightest interest in combat sports knew about the fight. It became world news. Khabib will fight Conor McGregor.
“Next day after the Al Iaquinta fight I jumped straight to training camp. I knew we are going to fight, and I was just waiting for the contract date. The next day I began training, and I didn’t stop.” – Khabib Nurmagomedov told in an interview with Mike Tyson. “When fight time comes, someone has to show spirit and heart.”
“Conor never fought with someone who has so much pressure, so much dominant opponent.” – Khabib told prior to the fight. “My dream is to smash him. To make him humble. I want to change his face.”
At this point, 26 people already tried to beat Khabib Nurmagomedov. 26 people tried and all of them failed. Coming from Russia, he had the audience against him on this one. However, he had his will and determination with him. He had confidence and he had his promise to his father that he will beat Conor McGregor. And that showed to be perfectly enough.
The first round was pure hell for Conor McGregor. Khabib used every opportunity he had to deliver a punch to him. He took him to the ground and dominated him as no one dominated him before. Conor McGregor finally realized what he got himself into.
After the completely successful first round, Khabib Nurmagomedov continued to push throughout the fight. At the beginning of the second round, he delivered a brutal overhead hook to Conor’s head that sent Conor straight to the ground. He didn’t hesitate to use the opportunity and jumped on him. He ferociously pounded Conor for the rest of the fight until eventually in round four, he decided to put an end to Conor’s misery and submit him.
A few seconds after he had Conor McGregor tapping, Khabib did what nobody expected of him. He ran towards Conor McGregor’s corner and jumped toward his teammates provoking them to fight. It was a cold shower for Dana White. If anything, he thought Khabib Nurmagomedov is a smart individual who won’t fall on provocations. This came like a shock, it disappointed Dana White.
“Been doing this for 18 years, and on the biggest night ever, I couldn’t be more disappointed.” – UFC President Dana White told journalists after the fight. “I’m not even mad. I’m just really disappointed in him.”
The Dagestani warrior finished the most important fight of his career. However, due to the mess after the fight, the UFC suspended him for nine months and gave him a fine of $500 000. After a considerable rest from the octagon, he was back in September 2019, when he met with the interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier.
Even though this should have been a challenge for Khabib, he won it with ease. He delivered a submission in the third round and defended his title for the second time.
“None of these guys that I fought feel crazy strong to where it’s overwhelming. It’s just that his position and his balance are so good.” – Poirier told of Khabib Nurmagomedov after the fight. “He knew where my weight was, where it needed to be to get in a better position. He’s just so advanced. And his feet are like hands. His foot sweeps and the way it breaks you down, it’s good. He’s good, so good. He smothered me, and my goal was to turn it into a fight like I wanted it to be a fight.” – Poirier added. “And he just smothered me and did what he does and I couldn’t stop it. I’ve been grappling a long time.”
2020 was the worst year in Khabib’s life. This is the year when his father, mentor, and biggest support lost his life due to COVID-19 complications. On July 3rd, the 57-year-old Abdulmanap, who played such a major role in Khabib’s life died in a hospital in Moscow. He had a very deep bond and connection with his son. So, as expected, his loss would play a major role in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s life. However, even though it was not the same, Khabib felt like he needed to finish his UFC contract with style and dedicate his last win to his father.
The next fighter to face Khabib was Justin Gaethje. The only fighter on the roster worth a title shot that didn’t fight Khabib. And his time to shine has come. This was one of the biggest and most important fights of the year.
Analysts gave the striking edge to Gaethje for this one. However, this was not the first time that Khabib Murmagomedov faced an experienced striker. We all know the outcome. This time was no different.
It was a real war. Justin Gaethje pushed back as much as he could. He fought and used every opportunity to land some punches on Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, he couldn’t find his way out of Khabib’s grappling. Khabib Nurmagomedov finished Justin Gaethje and took the win via submission.
The win was not a great shocker, however, what Khabib Nurmagomedov did after the win left UFC fans in shock. He left his gloves on the canvas and announced his early retirement. His father meant so much to him, that he couldn’t help but get emotional after the fight and declare that he cannot go on without him.
The fight against Gaethje marked the end of one extremely successful UFC career. The Eagle retired with a perfect record of 29-0-0. Not only that he left undefeated, but he made everybody that stepped into the octagon with him look like he never trained grappling before. He submitted, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gethje back to back. This is legendary.
Ever since his retirement, Khabib Nurmagomedov had a chance to come back to the octagon several times. He certainly had offers from Dana White. However, he stayed true to his word and finished his career then and there, at UFC 254.
Many people criticize Khabib for retiring too early. He retired at an age of 32. The age that people consider to be the peak of any martial artist’s power. However, he did so with good intentions. He retired and gave space for his prodigy Islam Makhachev to shine. Ever since he is his trainer and thanks to him, Islam Makhachev now holds the UFC lightweight title as well.
The world has had two Dagestani lightweight champions, both of them coming from Abdulmanap’s gym. If that is not a completion of his legacy, we don’t know what is.
