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Former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. The 33-year-old retired with a flawless 29-0 record shortly after the death of his father, even though he was still considered to be in the very prime of his career. Nurmagomedov was part of an intense rivalry with fellow superstar Conor McGregor.
Both fighters locked horns at UFC 229 in October 2018. Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the fourth round of that title bout. The Russian fighter hails from Dagestan and moved his training camp in the UFC to the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California. Nurmagomedov was inducted into the Modern Wing alongside American fighter Daniel Cormier.
In his induction, Khabib Nurmagomedov opened up about his father’s role in his journey as an undefeated champion. “I grew up in a very small village with a very poor life,” Khabib Nurmagomedov explained. “My father, he bring us from village, he sold our house and he brings me, my brother, my cousins, it was almost like 15 people from village to capital city. He rented a very big house and we all were living together. We would eat together. We were going to school, come back, train, come back, just father, trying to invest everything we have. Time, energy, money, he invested in us. He invested in us.”
He then talked about the opportunities his father presented which helped him grow throughout his life. He said, “From this house comes six world champions, UFC champions, a lot of champions and very good people because father invested everything that we have. He gave us a good education. He gave us good opportunity to learn in good schools, university, he invested everything he had.”