Khabib Nurmagomedov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Khabib Nurmagomedov
Nurmagomedov at the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022
Born	Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov (1988-09-20) 20 September 1988 (age 36) Sildi, Dagestan ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Native name	Хабиб Нурмагомедов
Nickname(s)	The Eagle
Nationality	Russian
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	155 lb (70 kg)
Division	Lightweight (2008–2010, 2012–2020) Welterweight (2009–2011)
Reach	70 in (178 cm)
Style	Combat Sambo
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia San Jose, California, U.S.
Team	American Kickboxing Academy Eagles MMA
Trainer	Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Javier Mendez
Rank	White belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Black belt and International Master of Sport in Judo International Master of Sport in Sambo
Years active	2008–2020
Mixed martial arts record
Total	29
Wins	29
By knockout	8
By submission	11
By decision	10
Losses	0
Children	3
Medal record Representing  Russia Combat sambo WCSF World Championships Gold 2009 Kyiv 74 kg Gold 2010 Moscow 82 kg

Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Khabib was the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Champion. He held the title from April 2018 to March 2021. He retired with an amazing record of 29 wins and no losses. This means he was undefeated in his career. Many people think Nurmagomedov is one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever. He was added to the UFC Hall of Fame on June 30, 2022.

Khabib is a two-time world champion in combat sambo. He also has a strong background in wrestling and judo. At the time he retired, he was ranked the #1 fighter in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. In 2019, Forbes magazine named him the most successful Russian athlete.

After retiring from fighting, Nurmagomedov became a coach and a promoter. He started Eagles MMA and promotes the Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC). He coached fighters until January 2023, when he decided to focus more on his family.

Early Life

Khabib Nurmagomedov was born on September 20, 1988. His family is from the Avar people in the village of Sildi. This village is in Dagestan ASSR, part of the Soviet Union at the time. He has an older brother, Magomed, and a younger sister, Amina.

His father's family moved to Kirovaul. There, his father turned the ground floor of their home into a gym. Khabib grew up with his siblings and cousins. He became interested in martial arts by watching others train at the gym. When he was nine years old, Khabib even wrestled a bear as part of his training!

Like many children in Dagestan, he started wrestling very young. He began at age eight, coached by his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. His father was a skilled athlete and a veteran of the Soviet Army. Abdulmanap had also wrestled from a young age. He later trained in judo and sambo in the military. Abdulmanap wanted to help young people in Dagestan through sports.

In 2001, his family moved to Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan. He trained in wrestling from age 12 and judo from age 15. At 17, he started training in combat sambo again with his father. Khabib said it was hard to switch from wrestling to judo. But his father wanted him to get used to fighting in a gi (a special jacket). Khabib's father trained many athletes in sambo. Khabib used to get into street fights when he was younger. But he later focused all his energy on mixed martial arts. Khabib said that Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and Ronaldo were his biggest inspirations.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

Early Career

Khabib Nurmagomedov started his professional MMA career in September 2008. He won four fights in less than a month. On October 11, he won the first Atrium Cup tournament in Moscow. He defeated three opponents there. For the next three years, he remained undefeated. He finished 11 out of 12 opponents. This included a first-round win against Shahbulat Shamhalaev. In 2011, he fought seven times for the ProFC promotion. He won all those fights by TKO (technical knockout) or submission.

With a record of 16 wins and no losses in Russia and Ukraine, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) became interested in signing Nurmagomedov. His father later said that there were some legal issues with ProFC. But they worked it out, and Khabib was able to join the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Early UFC Fights

In late 2011, Nurmagomedov signed a six-fight deal with the UFC. He would compete in their lightweight division.

For his UFC debut, Khabib fought Kamal Shalorus on January 20, 2012. He won the fight in the third round by submission.

Next, Nurmagomedov defeated Gleison Tibau on July 7, 2012. He won by unanimous decision, meaning all three judges agreed he won.

Khabib's next fight was against Thiago Tavares on January 19, 2013. He won by knockout (KO) in the first round.

Nurmagomedov defeated Abel Trujillo on May 25, 2013, by unanimous decision. Khabib weighed a little too much for this fight. So, he gave a part of his earnings to Trujillo. In this fight, Nurmagomedov set a new UFC record. He had 21 successful takedowns out of 28 attempts. This was the most takedowns in a single UFC fight.

In his fifth UFC fight, on September 21, 2013, Nurmagomedov faced Pat Healy. He won by unanimous decision.

Nurmagomedov then faced former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos on April 19, 2014. He won by unanimous decision.

Khabib was supposed to fight Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson later. But he had to pull out of these fights due to knee injuries.

Nurmagomedov and his father, Abdulmanap in 2016

The fight with Ferguson was set again for April 16, 2016. But Ferguson had to pull out due to a lung issue. Darrell Horcher stepped in to fight Khabib. Nurmagomedov won this fight by TKO in the second round.

In November 2016, Nurmagomedov fought Michael Johnson. Khabib won by submission in the third round.

The fight with Ferguson was scheduled a third time for March 4, 2017. But Khabib became ill because of a difficult weight cut. So, the fight was canceled.

Nurmagomedov faced Edson Barboza on December 30, 2017. Khabib won all three rounds by unanimous decision. He took Barboza down many times and controlled the fight. This win earned him his first "Performance of the Night" bonus.

Becoming UFC Lightweight Champion

Minister of Sport Pavel Kolobkov, left, congratulating Nurmagomedov on winning the UFC Lightweight Championship

A fight with Ferguson was planned for a fourth time on April 7, 2018. But Ferguson got hurt. Then, Max Holloway was supposed to replace him. However, Holloway was also pulled from the fight because of weight cutting issues. Finally, Al Iaquinta stepped in to fight Khabib. Nurmagomedov won the fight by unanimous decision. He became the UFC Lightweight Champion.

Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor

Nurmagomedov and his father meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin four days after his win against McGregor

On August 3, 2018, the UFC announced that Nurmagomedov would defend his lightweight title against Conor McGregor. This big fight happened on October 6 in Las Vegas. Nurmagomedov won the first two rounds. He lost the third round, which was the first time he had ever lost a round in the UFC. But he defeated McGregor in the fourth round by submission. After this win, Khabib's record was 27 wins and 0 losses. This was the longest winning streak in UFC history at the time. This event was very popular, with 2.4 million people buying the pay-per-view to watch it.

Incident at UFC 229

After his victory over Conor McGregor, an incident happened. Nurmagomedov jumped over the cage and went towards McGregor's teammate. A scuffle then broke out between the two teams. As a result, Nurmagomedov's payment for the fight was held back. He later apologized for his actions. He explained that he was upset because of things said about his religion and nation. He said, "You cannot talk about religion. You cannot talk about nation. Guys, you cannot talk about these things. This is very important to me." He was later given a nine-month suspension and a $500,000 fine.

Nurmagomedov vs. Poirier

In June 2019, Nurmagomedov signed a new contract with the UFC. He defended his title against interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier on September 7, 2019. He won the fight by submission in the third round. This win brought both titles together and earned Khabib another "Performance of the Night" bonus. After the fight, he and Poirier traded shirts as a sign of respect. Nurmagomedov later sold Poirier's shirt for $100,000 and donated the money to Poirier's charity. The UFC president, Dana White, also matched the donation.

Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje

Nurmagomedov was set to defend his title against Tony Ferguson on April 18, 2020. This was the fifth time this fight was planned. But Khabib could not leave Russia due to travel restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. So, he was removed from the fight. Instead, Ferguson fought Justin Gaethje for an interim title. Gaethje won that fight, earning him a chance to fight Nurmagomedov.

Khabib faced Gaethje on October 24, 2020. Nurmagomedov won the fight by submission in the second round. He defended and unified the UFC Lightweight Championship. After the fight, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. He explained that he had promised his mother he would not fight without his late father. His father had passed away earlier that year. He said, "I promised her it was going to be my last fight. If I give my word, I have to follow this." This win also earned him the "Performance of the Night" award.

Retirement and UFC Lightweight Championship Vacation

Even though the UFC tried to get him to fight again, UFC president Dana White announced on March 19, 2021, that he accepted Nurmagomedov's retirement. The UFC Lightweight Championship was then officially left open.

On July 1, 2022, Nurmagomedov was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

MMA Promoter

After retiring from fighting, Nurmagomedov bought a Russian MMA promotion called Gorilla Fighting Championship (GFC). He paid $1 million for it. He then changed its name to Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC).

MMA Coach and Cornerman

After retiring in October 2020, Nurmagomedov became an active coach. He worked with American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez. He coached and helped many fighters, including current UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. He also coached his cousins Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Usman Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov decided to fully retire from MMA, including coaching, in January 2023 to focus on his family.

However, Nurmagomedov did return as a cornerman for Islam Makhachev's title defenses at UFC 302 and UFC 311. He also cornered Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.

Fighting Style

Nurmagomedov uses a wrestling-based fighting style. He puts a lot of pressure on his opponents. He often forces them against the cage. He uses different wrestling, judo, and sambo takedowns. Once on the ground, he controls his opponents. He uses his weight to tire them out. He also hits them with strikes that are hard to defend. This style helped him win many fights. Out of his 29 wins, 19 came from TKO/KO or submission.

Personal Life

Nurmagomedov in 2017

As part of his Dagestani Avar culture, Nurmagomedov often wore a papakha hat. This is a traditional hat. He wore it after fights and at events. As of 2019, Nurmagomedov was studying at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. He loves football (soccer). He supports teams like Anzhi Makhachkala, Real Madrid, and Liverpool. He also supports the Russia national team.

In August 2021, some people thought Nurmagomedov had signed a professional football contract. He was seen with players from a Russian team called Legion Dynamo. But he later said he was just a fan and very close to the club.

He is the most-followed Russian person on Instagram. As of December 2022, he had over 34 million followers.

Khabib is from the Republic of Dagestan in Russia. He is the first Muslim to win a UFC title. Nurmagomedov is a Sunni Muslim. In October 2020, The Guardian newspaper said he was the second-most-popular Muslim athlete in the world.

Nurmagomedov has trained at different gyms around the world. In 2016, he helped start his own team, Eagles MMA. This team had support from a Dagestani billionaire. Nurmagomedov has also visited and trained at Fight Club Akhmat.

Family

Nurmagomedov married Patimat in June 2013. They have three children: a daughter born in 2015, a son born in 2017, and another son born in 2019. Their first son was named Magomed, after Khabib's great-grandfather. Several of Nurmagomedov's cousins are also UFC fighters. These include Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Umar Nurmagomedov. His cousin Usman Nurmagomedov fights in Bellator.

In May 2020, Nurmagomedov's father and long-time trainer, Abdulmanap, became very ill. He had COVID-19 after heart surgery. He passed away on July 3, 2020, at age 57.

Awards

In October 2018, Nurmagomedov was made an "Honorary Citizen of Grozny." This was after his win against McGregor. He also received a Mercedes car. His father, Abdulmanap, also received an award.

On December 5, 2019, the leader of Dagestan gave Nurmagomedov and his father an award. It was called the Order For Services to the Republic of Dagestan. This was for their important work in sports in Dagestan.

Championships and Accomplishments

Mixed Martial Arts Record

Television Viewership

Pay-per-view Bouts

Network Television (Non-PPV)

See Also

In Spanish: Jabib Nurmagomédov para niños

• List of male mixed martial artists
• List of undefeated mixed martial artists