The legendary MMA fighter’s life after the sport: a successful career as a coach, political pressure and legal challenges over his opposition to Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, a former professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, is one of the most prominent figures in the MMA world. Born on 20 September 1988 in Dagestan, Russia, he became famous for his undefeated career in the UFC, where he fought in the lightweight division. He was the longest reigning champion in the UFC lightweight division, reigning from April 2018 until March 2021, when he announced his withdrawal from the sport with a perfect record of 29 wins and 0 losses. Due to his impressive career, Khabib was included in the UFC Hall of Fame on 30 June 2022.
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Nurmagomedov grew up in the martial arts world, training under the wing of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, since childhood. Abdulmanap, a former Soviet soldier and martial arts trainer, helped his son to excel in the sport by instilling the fundamentals of wrestling, judo and sambo. Khabib often trained in the gym in the basement of the family home, along with his cousins and other local children.
Khabib began his professional MMA career in 2008 and quickly became known for his winning streak. In 2012, he joined the UFC, where he began his dominance in the lightweight division. His speed, technique and wrestling skills made him a tough opponent to beat. On 7 April 2018, he became the UFC lightweight champion by defeating Al Iaquinta. Following this victory, he defended his title against Conor McGregor on 6 October 2018, in a fight that became one of the most talked about in MMA history due to the post-fight feud between the two fighters’ teams. During his career, he has also defeated famous fighters such as Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. After his last fight against Gaethje in October 2020, Khabib announced his withdrawal from the sport, promising his mother that he would not fight again without his father, who died of complications from heart disease after getting sick with COVID-19 on 3 July 2020.
After his withdrawal from MMA, Khabib became an active coach and founder of MMA “Eagle Fighting Championship”. He has coached and helped other generations of fighters achieve success, including his own cousins and other fighters from Dagestan such as Islam Makhachev. Islam is one of the most prominent fighters who has been helped by Khabib Nurmagomedov. The two have trained together since childhood, and after Abdulmanap’s death, Khabib became Islam’s main trainer and mentor. Islam is the UFC Lightweight Champion and his impressive performances and victories contributed largely to Khabib’s guidance and advices.
Usman Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s cousin, has an impressive undefeated record and competes in the “Bellator” organisation. Khabib not only helped him train, but also gave him valuable advices to help him reach the heights in the MMA world.
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Umar Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s other cousin, also has an undefeated record and competes in the UFC’s bantamweight division. Khabib is his main coach and mentor, helping him to improve and achieve victories.
Despite his sport achievements, Khabib has faced legal problems and political pressure. On 28 June 2024, Russian security forces attacked his gym in Dagestan after it was discovered that one of the gunmen in a recent terror attack was training in his gym. At least 21 people, including 16 police officers and a priest, were killed in this attack on a Christian and Jewish house of worship in Dagestan. Khabib denied any connection with the extremist, saying he was never a regular student at his gym.
In addition, Nurmagomedov has faced accusations of tax avoidance by the Russian government, which has led to his bank accounts being frozen due to an alleged tax debt of 3.3 million dollars. These problems arose after he publicly opposed the Russian occupation of Ukraine.
