Shestakov: “Nurmagomedov has a champion character, he will beat Ferguson. Khabib Nurmagomedov - biography, information, personal life Video: Khabib Nurmagomedov - the best moments

Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov (Avar. XIabib Nurmukhlamadov). Born on September 20, 1988 in Sildi, Tsumadinsky district of Dagestan. Russian mixed style fighter. Nickname: The Eagle UFC Lightweight Champion.

Khabib Nurmagomedov was born on September 20, 1988 in the small village of Sildi in the Tsumadinsky district of Dagestan.

By nationality - Avar.

He comes from a family of hereditary wrestlers. His father - Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov - was the champion of Ukraine in freestyle wrestling and sambo. Father's brother - Nurmagomed Nurmagomedov - world champion in sports sambo 1992. And his maternal uncle is a master of sports in freestyle wrestling.

Father is not only a wrestler, but also a freestyle wrestling coach. It was his father who became the first coach of Habib, under whose guidance he was engaged in martial arts from the age of 5.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been on the mat all the time,” the fighter recalled.

He has a brother, Abubakar, who is 1.5 years younger. They trained together (Abubakar also became a professional fighter, competes in the WSOF).

In 2001, the family moved to Makhachkala. There he continued training. “Father brought us all together, about 15 relatives in Makhachkala. And we lived for seven or eight years all under the same roof. We ate together, trained together and grew up as worthy guys,” the athlete said.

Somehow, Khabib came across a cassette with fights without rules and he himself wanted to try himself in something new, namely, in martial arts related to percussion, although he continued to engage in freestyle wrestling. By that time, my father had already changed the type of martial arts and taught the guys combat sambo. "I also wanted to, but he said that you first need to learn how to wrestle in a jacket and sent me to his friend, the honored coach of Russia in judo Jafar Jafarov. I trained with him for a year and a half, and in 2005 I already switched to combat sambo," Khabib said.

For two years he studied with Jafar Jafarov, Honored Coach of Russia. After that, he began training in combat sambo, he was again trained by his father.

Khabib Nurmagomedov in childhood (left)

One of Khabib's role models was the great Russian fighter.

Nurmagomedov said: "Only when I started practicing combat sambo, he was the number one athlete in all sports. His behavior, character has always been an example. He behaved the same way when he won and when he lost. I try to take an example from him in this "Fedor Emelianenko is the man who gave impetus to our sport in Russia. I never heard anything bad said about him. I grew up on his fights. I watched him bring down, knock out, finish off. I always admired him as a fighter and as a person."

The fact that Khabib eventually became a professional fighter is a great merit of his father, not only as a coach, but also as a mentor in choosing a life path. As Khabib admitted, at the age of 19-20 he was going to leave the sport and get a job in a security agency. "But my father told me:" If you work somewhere, then you are no longer an athlete. So you have another job. But if you are an athlete, you have to live it. You have to get up early and go to train. Come home, eat and sleep And everything you need, I will give you. You only need money for water and travel. And we have food at home, "he recalled.

And Khabib continued to train hard, completely surrendering to martial arts. And the results were not long in coming.

On January 21, 2012, Khabib had his first fight under the auspices of the American UFC promotion. The fight ended with his victory over Kamal Shalorus - in the 3rd round, Khabib performed a choke that forced Kamal to surrender. The Americans immediately noted the very high level of Nurmagomedov's wrestling training.

“I was 23 then, and many said that the UFC was too high a level, and I was too young. But it only inflamed me, motivated me. I could not wait until I entered the cage and showed what I was capable of,” he recalled his debut in the UFC.

On July 7, 2012, Khabib fought his second fight under the auspices of the American UFC promotion against one of the best Brazilian lightweights Gleison Tibau, one of the TOP 15 best lightweight fighters in the world at UFC 148 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Throughout all three rounds, the Russian dominated and won by unanimous decision.

On January 19, 2013, the fighter met with another well-known Brazilian lightweight Thiago Tavares in Brazil in the city of Sao Paulo at the grandiose UFC on FX 7 tournament. On the main card of the tournament, he, having made an uppercut, sent the Brazilian to a knockdown, after which he finished him off on the ground with his elbows at 1:55 of the first round. He also stated that he wants to fight one of the best fighters on the planet, Nate Diaz, on April 20 at UFC on FOX 7 in San Jose, California.

November 12, 2016 at UFC 205 in New York, armlock (kimura). Throughout the fight, Khabib dominated Michael and as a result, in the third round, the judge stopped the fight, as the opponent could not even knock on the floor, being in a clamped position due to a painful hold.

Before this fight, after weighing in, Khabib got into an argument with Irish fighter Conor McGregor, who also held his title fight there. The guards did not let the verbal skirmish turn into a brawl.

VIDEO: Khabib Nurmagomedov - best moments

In January 2017, it was announced that on March 4, as part of UFC show 209 in Las Vegas (USA). The winner of the fight will be the main contender for the lightweight title, which is the Irishman Conor McGregor.

“On March 4, I will do everything to make my dream come true, and finally I will fight for the belt and win it,” Nurmagomedov commented on the news of the fight with Ferguson.

A huge part of Nurmagomedov's fans are children and their parents who consider Khabib a role model. “If a person promotes sports, constantly says that people should do the right thing, I think this person should be emulated. Khabib presents himself as a very modest, decent guy. I would say that in the first place he has religion, as he preaches Islam. He constantly presents it with right side tells you how to do it. Such a person will be popular anyway," the fighter's father said.

Khabib Nurmagomedov. Undefeated ( documentary)

Khabib Nurmagomedov height: 177 centimeters.

Weight Khabib Nurmagomedov: 70 kilograms.

Khabib Nurmagomedov's arm span: 178 centimeters.

Personal life of Khabib Nurmagomedov:

Married. Since Khabib strictly adheres to Muslim customs, he does not talk about his personal life. Also, he does not give details about his wife. Doesn't even show her face. So, in the photo from Khabib's wedding, his chosen one is hidden under a veil.

During a long stay abroad (Khabib trains in the USA), he leaves his wife at home. "She will interfere with my preparation. It will be possible to go on vacation somehow. But during the preparation period, for example, women or clubs interfere. You should not think about anything else if you want to achieve something. You should only train, sleep and eat. There must be a regime in everything, and the wife will wait at home and pray for me, "he explained.

great place Islam plays in the life of Khabib Nurmagomedov. He strictly adheres to all the rules laid down for a devout Muslim.

"I never smoked or drank. Not because I'm an athlete and lead healthy lifestyle life. Because my religion forbids it. I am a Muslim and Islam forbids drinking, smoking, going to nightclubs. And in battles, religion helps me, especially psychologically. Only she can balance me. Both defeat and victory are given only by the Almighty. And I will also rejoice in defeat. I am always calm. Maybe this is the key to success, that I always hope for the Almighty, and I am ready for any outcome," the athlete pointed out.

As Khabib said, sports and achievements high results changed his way of life.

“I fought a lot on the street, my father always punished me for this, scolded me not to do it again. But I stopped fighting only when I became world champion in 2010. There were moments when the fight was already very close. At such moments I remember that a couple of years ago I would have dragged him in, but, realizing that I am a professional, I restrain myself. Because I can hit so that a person will have a serious injury. Why do I need this? ", - he said.

“If you are an athlete, you train and live by it, you can easily hurt a passerby. But you are an athlete, you have to be careful about this. I have had many skirmishes in my life. And when I saw that a person is much weaker, I tried to avoid fights. And now I don’t go to places where this can happen at all. I sit at home, and nothing will definitely happen to me there. And an athlete should not show anyone that he can knock out or kill someone. I don’t support this . Professional sportsman- this is a cold weapon," the fighter noted.

There are three of our compatriots here: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Adam Khaliev and Alexandra Albu. And they are all in a very serious company. We invite you to read the material.

Of the 635 fighters under contract with the largest MMA promotion in the world, only 29 are undefeated at the professional level, which is 4.6% of the roster.

At the top of the list is Khabib Nurmagomedov with the longest streak of 23 unbeaten fights. The Dagestan athlete entered the UFC in 2012 and has since scored consecutive victories over Kamal Shalorus, Gleison Tibau, Thiago Tavares, Abel Trujillo, Pat Healy, Rafael dos Anjos and Darrell Horcher. Now he occupies the first line of the rating of contenders, and many even consider him as the uncrowned champion of the lightweight division. He missed 2 years due to injury. two-time champion world in combat sambo is sure that sooner or later he will achieve title fight and take the belt.

Among the other unbeaten fighters, the current champion of the organization in 115 pounds, Joanna Jendrzejczyk, stands out. The Polish athlete has a record of 12 victories to her credit and recently scored just an extraordinary move: in her six fights in the octagon, she threw 613 punches more than her rivals (FightMetric statistics). Joanna hits more punches per minute than any other women's roster (6.68), and the difference between thrown and missed punches per minute (4.25) is absolutely the best in history.

We offer you to get acquainted with the TOP 10 undefeated UFC fighters:

1) Khabib Nurmagomedov

Record: 23-0
Last fight: April 16, 2016, UFC on FOX 19
Result: victory over Darrell Horcher, TKO in the second round (3:38)

2) Darren Till

Record: 13-0-1
Last fight: October 24, 2015, UFC Fight Night “Holohan vs. Smolka"
Result: majority draw against Nicholas Dolby
Next match: not announced

3) Alberto Mina

Record: 13-0
Last fight: July 7, 2016, UFC Fight Night “Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez"
Result: victory over Mike Pyle, knockout in the first round (1:17)
Next match: not announced

4) Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Record: 12-0
Last match: July 8, 2016, “The Ultimate Fighter 23” Finale
Result: victory over Cludia Gadelha, unanimous decision
Next match: not announced

5) Brian Ortega

Record: 11-0
Result: victory over Clay Guida, knockout in the third round (4:40)
Next match: not announced

6) Luke Sanders

Record: 11-0
Last fight: January 17, 2016, UFC Fight Night “Dillashaw vs. cruz”
Result: victory over Maximo Blanco, rear naked choke in the first round (3:38)
Next match: not announced

7) Luis Enrique Da Silva

Record: 11-0
Last fight: June 4, 2016, UFC 199
Result: victory over Jonathan Wilson, technical knockout in the second round (4:11)
Next fight: Oct. 1, vs. Joachim Christensen at UFC Fight Night “Lineker vs. Dodson"

8) Mirsad Bektich

Record: 10-0
Last fight: May 30, 2015, UFC Fight Night “Condit vs. Alves"
Result: victory over Lucas Martins, technical knockout in the second round (0:30)
Next match: not announced

9) Josh Emmett

Record: 10-0
Last fight: May 8, 2016, UFC Fight Night “Overeem vs. Arlovski"
Result: victory over John Took, split decision
Next fight: August 27 vs. Jeremy Kennedy at UFC on Fox 21

10) Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Record: 10-0
Last fight: July 30, 2016, UFC 201
Result: victory over Rose Namajunas, split decision
Next match: not announced

At the UFC 219 tournament. Throughout the fight, the Russian dominated the Brazilian Edson Barboza, winning by unanimous decision. After the fight, he did not look tired and once again declared his readiness to fight two fights in the evening.

“When I said that I could fight McGregor and Ferguson in one show, I didn’t lie. Give me an hour to rest and I'll be ready for another fight. I just finished a fight against one of the strongest strikers in the UFC, and I feel fresh, ”Nurmagomedov admitted.

The Russian fighter had his first fight since November 2016. At UFC 205, he defeated American Michael Johnson. In March 2017, he was with another US representative, Tony Ferguson, but was forced to withdraw from the fight due to health problems. According to Nurmagomedov, he was happy to be back in the cage.

“Before entering the cage, I spoke with Javier Mendez (athlete’s coach. — RT). He said that I was smiling too much, that I needed to focus on the fight. I answered him that I was extremely collected, but at the same time I enjoy my return, ”the athlete shared his emotions.

Nurmagomedov throughout the fight demonstrated superiority over the opponent, being head and shoulders above Barboza in all statistical indicators. At the same time, the Russian paid tribute to the opponent, noting that he is one of the most dangerous UFC fighters.

“Edson Barbosa could knock you out any second. I'm happy with the outcome of the fight. And also the fact that about 60% of the time of the fight I was in a dominant position. I think my time has come. I am 29 years old, I am fluent in all aspects mixed martial arts. Many thought that the Brazilian would be able to hit me well, but it didn’t work out, ”Nurmagomedov summed up the fight.

Answering the question with whom he wants to have his next fight: with reigning champion UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor or interim champion Tony Ferguson, he called the fight with the American more logical.

“Conor McGregor should. The real title of the champion is 25:0 in a career. The fight with Ferguson seems more correct to me. The Irishman won just one bout in lightweight weight class by defeating Eddie Alvarez. He good fighter but he is not a champion. I think many of the representatives of this weight could beat him. He is good at boxing, but he absolutely cannot fight and does not have the necessary physical conditions. But he has a championship belt, because they want it in the UFC, ”the fighter explained.

Nurmagomedov said he hopes to have three fights in 2018, noting that the first one is due in April.

“I think the ideal date for the next fight will be April. I want to fight in April, September and December. This is my plan, ”said the athlete.

This was confirmed by his manager Rizvan Magomedov, adding that the UFC has not yet given an answer regarding the fight for the title of interim champion.

“Fight with Ferguson is not confirmed. We are guided by the fact that Khabib's next fight will be in April. Khabib feels great, he has not received any injuries. He is ready to have another fight right now, he is well prepared, ”said Magomedov.

According to the teammate of the fighter Tagir Ulanbekov, Ferguson will not be a serious test for Nurmagomedov.

“It will be the same as with Barbosa. He will also beat him on the ground - what he does best of all, ”the athlete assured in an interview with Sport Express.

According to the father and coach of the athlete Abudlmanap Nurmagomedov, after the victory at Barboza, his son has no other tasks than winning the championship belt.

“I congratulate Russia and all the fans of the world who supported us. Khabib said he wanted to show his striking technique. You can count how many blows are thrown and how many hit the target. Now the task is a belt, there are no other goals, ”said Nurmagomedov Sr.

Congratulate the winner and former champion Bellator middleweight Alexander Shlemenko, noting the difference in class between rivals.

“Everything worked out as I thought. Barbosa is no match for him. A fighter like Nurmagomedov cannot be knocked out with a turntable. The result was a confident victory for Khabib, with which I congratulate everyone, ”Shlemenko told TASS.

Not sure any sane human and coaching staff is really chomping at the bit to fight Khabib after watching that fight. Masterful work.

“Fyodor Emelianenko brought this sport to Russia. He laid the foundation for it,” Umar Nurmagomedov said at a press conference with Gorilla Energy in Moscow. Khabib continued. Fedor's contribution is more significant, because everyone looked up to him. But Khabib can catch up with him. If he wins Tony Ferguson, Georges St-Pierre and has a rematch with Conor McGregor, and MMA in Russia will be many times more popular.

UFC fighter Tyron Woodley challenges Khabib Nurmagomedov

"He's a real beast," Woodley said. At this point in my life and career, I need to take a leap into the impossible. I need to be as motivated as possible at the limit, and Khabib would be just such a test for me. “Of course, I would never be able to get down to 155 pounds. I'm already toying with the idea of going to average weight. Our duel would have to take place in a contractual weight. However, now he has become a big star, and, probably, he is not interested in a duel with me. I'm talking about this mainly out of respect for his skills. I know Dustin spars guys in the middle and light heavyweight divisions, but Khabib dominated him at UFC 242. I need to feel that level of pressure myself.”

Prepared with Vasilevsky and Amagov

After the first victory in the UFC in a post-match interview, Nurmagomedov thanked his team from K Dojo from New Jersey for their work. At that time, one could meet Adlan Amagov, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, Mikhail Malyutin, Alexei Oleinik and Azamat Gashimov in this hall. As Amagov himself said, “almost all Russian fighters who are fighting in the largest American organizations are gathered in our K Dojo team.”

As a result, the Russian dream team did not last long - Amagov, Gashimov, Nurmagomedov and other leading fighters left the team when disagreements began in it between the head of the hall, Murat Keshtov, and Sam Karden, who at that time was Khabib's manager. All stars moved to Cardin's team Red Fury, but later news began to appear that the team was ceasing to exist, and Sam simply did not pay sponsorship money to several fighters, for example, Shakhbulat Shamkhalaev.

According to the head of K Dojo Murat Keshtov, it was he who helped Nurmagomedov to refuse in the AKA hall:

“I have a friend, Mohammed Lawal, who was training with AKA at the time. I asked him to arrange with Javier Mendez for Khabib to train in the AKA. Then Khabib and Azamat flew to Russia, and when they arrived in next time, Khabib, before the fight with Tibau, immediately went to the AKA.

Later, the K Dojo Warrior Tribe hall in the UFC was represented by Albert Tumenov, Alexander Yakovlev and Marina Moroz. Azamat Murkazanov was supposed to join them, but the Russian could not make his debut in the promotion due to a positive doping test. However, a more stellar debutant is expected - the team's roster includes a three-time world champion and bronze medalist Freestyle wrestling Olympics in London Bilyal Makhov.

16 000 $

Your first fight in UFC Nurmagomedov held on January 20, 2012 at the UFC on FX - Guilldard vs. Miller. The Russian won by submission in the third round and earned 16 thousand dollars - 8 thousand for entering the fight and 8 thousand for the victory.

In an interview with Blood & Sweat, Nurmagomedov shared his impressions of that fight. Now this is especially funny to read:

“Five days before the fight, we arrived at the hotel. Five-star! I was immediately given $500 for pocket money and a schedule. There was a schedule for when I should be at the photo shoot, when I should sign posters, when I should meet with fans. I immediately knew where I was. By the way, I was also struck by how many people were at the weigh-in. We have so many for the fights themselves.”

For comparison, after his ninth fight in the UFC, Hibib's check increased exactly 10 times - the Russian earned 160 thousand dollars - 80 thousand for entering the fight and 80 thousand for the victory. But Orel itself urges not to trust what they write on the Internet, and claims that it has been earning much more for a long time.

Came out to motivational tracks

Khabib always knew how to surprise with the choice of tracks for entering the battle. If we discard the idea that a Russian is a tough music lover, one can simply pay attention to the titles of the tracks. It seems that every time Nurmagomedov tried to put a certain semantic load into his entry into the battle.

Abel Trujillo - The Script - Hall of Fame, where the name speaks for itself. Pretty motivating song. You can read the translation here to understand how.

Pat Healy - Yeah Man Maino - Remember my name, where the name can be addressed to the local public, which is finally time to remember this unusual name - Khabib.

Rafael dos Anjos - Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger (maybe AC/DC version). One of the most "pugnacious" songs in history with another telling title. Here you can read the translation to understand why Nurmagomedov chose this particular composition.

Darrell Horcher, Michael Johnson, Edson Barboza - Sabina Saidova - Dagestan.

Crying after the fight

Nurmagomedov was quite reserved after his first UFC win, but after his success in the fight with Gleison, Tibau could not contain his emotions. Khabib later explained it this way in an interview with MMA Fighting:

“Every day, after every prayer, I asked the Almighty to give me this victory. When she came to me, I almost could not restrain myself. After previous victories, I somehow did not have time to feel all the emotions. This time the opponent was more serious, because he had 16-17 fights in the UFC, and he is known all over the world. I'm a beginner [fighter] and he's a veteran. I don't know why, I can't answer.

Pushing Abel Trujillo

Probably everyone saw the moment at the weigh-in before the UFC 160 tournament, when Khabib Nurmagomedov unexpectedly pushed Abel Trujillo in the chest. But many do not know why the Russian behaved so aggressively, or believe that the "Eagle" just wanted to attract additional attention. But this is not so - in an interview with MMA Fughting, Khabib explained the reasons for this reaction:

“I grew up where respect comes first. I always respect all athletes, whether it is my opponent or not. Before the weigh-in, backstage, I approached him and apologized for not making the weight. I extended my hand to him, he did not answer me. Where I grew up it's a big disrespect not to answer when you hold out your hand. When I came out, I was already angry, in addition, he also rested his head on me, and I pushed him.

After four wins in the UFC, Khabib spoke about the fight with the legendary BJ Penn. As usual, the Russian indicated his interest on Twitter:

"He's the best lightweight ever, I've been a fan since I was a kid and I deserve this fight."

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Nurmagomedov explained it this way:

“I asked for a fight with BJ Penn, but I didn’t get a response. Perhaps they have other plans for him. I wanted to fight someone I watched on TV when I was younger. He is a legend."

Penn would only return a year later in July 2014 to lose to Frankie Edgar technical knockout in the third round. The next return will take place only in 2017, but at that time Khabib will not be too interested in such a fight.

He was seconded by sparring partner Josh Thompson.

Josh Thompson seconded Khabib Nurmagomedov on September 21, 2013 in a fight with Pat Healy at UFC 165. Five months earlier, on April 20, 2013, Thompson became the first and so far the last person to knock out Nate Diaz.

Josh's tips helped Khabib defeat Healy by unanimous decision. Thompson was no longer seen in Nurmagomedov's corner, but Punk is still one of Orel's main sparring partners.

By the way, while commenting on the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, Nurmagomedov told an interesting story about Thompson:

“When you fight or spar, you try your best, and the opponent smiles in your face ... By the way, I had such sparring. I sparred with the same fighter, Josh Thompson. He was one of the best fighters in lightweight, fought in Strikeforce, a trilogy with Gilbert Melendez, fought in the UFC, Nate Diaz, by the way, knocked out. The only fighter who knocked out Nate Diaz. And when you fight him with all your might, and he smiles back at you - in the first sparring, I was a little caught in these moments. We had a lot of sparring, then I got used to it. He himself began to communicate with him, smile at him, in his own manner. He explained this moment to me - when a fighter does not know you, when you enter the ring with him, and when you start smiling at him against the background of fatigue, it takes some opponents. The opponent starts to get scared, pinched. When you fight like this high level even such small moments like a smile of an opponent can bring you out.”

Another interesting fact- in the second fight of Khabib in the UFC, one of his seconds was Adlan Amagov.

His fights were most often officiated by "Big John" and the most controversial referee in UFC history.

John McCarthy and Mario Yamasaki each shared the same cage with the Eagle and its rivals 3 times.

Yamasaki worked on Nurmagomedov's first two fights in the UFC against Kamal Shalorus and Gleison Tibau, and then became part of history while in the cage the night Khabib gave Abel Trujillo 21 takedowns and set the UFC record for most transfers in a single fight.

Big John saw Khabib hit Rafael dos Anjos, Michael Johnson and Edson Barbosa. Now McCarthy has temporarily suspended his career as a referee, having tried himself in the Bellator commentator's chair, and will not be able to overtake Yamasaki in an absentee confrontation for the title of Nurmagomedov's favorite referee. However, Mario is unlikely to be able to snatch the lead - probably, he simply will not be put on such big fights after all the criticism that has fallen on him.

Another interesting fact is that the famous referee Herb Dean has never worked at Khabib's fights and will not do it on the night of April 7-8 in Brooklyn: the third person in the cage during the fight between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson will be Dan Miragliotta. Once he already had the opportunity to raise the hand of the "Eagle" after the victory, and we really want to see it again.