5 UFC stars whose parents were also fighters
UFC athletes with siblings who also fight are not particularly uncommon occurrences. The Diaz and Nogueira brothers are famous examples. However, what is less common is a parental link through martial arts. That said, the few unique relationships between a parent and offspring in the MMA world often pay dividends.
Elements from the MMA world usually appear early in the lives of children with martial artist parents. This has significant advantages in the world of combat sports. It produces athletes with superior fighting knowledge and experience. They are also likely to hold a superior skill-set compared to people who picked up martial arts later in their lives.
The following list will detail five UFC fighters whose parents were also involved in martial arts:
#5 Giacomo Lemos' Family
Giacomo Lemos is a signed UFC fighter, although he is yet to make his promotional debut. He was handed a two-year suspension after testing positive during a random drug test. However, that ban is nearly over, and he will probably return to the sport in 2021.
Lemos comes from a strong lineage of martial artists. Both of his parents are Judo black belts. Lemos' mother even won the Brazilian Judo Championship while two months pregnant with him. His sister, Giulia, is also a Judo black belt.
#4 Amanda and Marcel Ribas
Amanda Ribas is one of the UFC's brightest upcoming prospects. Despite coming off a loss to Marina Rodriguez, Ribas holds impressive wins over Paige Vanzant, Emily Whitmire and Mackenzie Dern.
Amanda's father, Marcelo Ribas, is a practitioner and teacher of jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and judo. He was Amanda's chief trainer until she became part of one of Brazil's national youth teams. With his daughter now competing in the UFC, Marcelo is still a huge supporter, and now has a tattoo commemorating her submission win over Emily Whitmire on his arm.
#3 Kron and Rickson Gracie
Kron Gracie is part of a new generation of Gracie martial artists to represent his family name in the UFC. He currently holds a 5-1 record, which includes a submission win over Alex Caceres.
His father, Rickson Gracie, was also an MMA fighter and an incredibly high-level BJJ practitioner. Rickson competed in both Pride Fighting Championships and Vale Tudo Japan, defeating every opponent he faced via submission.
#2 Royce and Helio Gracie
Royce Gracie was the first UFC star. He was the catalyst that began what is now a worldwide sport. He demonstrated the effectiveness of a martial art few had heard of, jiu-jitsu. More specifically, Gracie jiu-jitsu.
Royce's father, Helio Gracie, is considered by many to be the Godfather of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Helio was part of many early crossover martial arts exhibition bouts before the true creation of MMA occurred. Fights against Judokas Yukio Kato and Masahiko Kimura are especially notable.
#1 Khabib and Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov has a solid case for being one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. An undefeated record at lightweight in arguably the most talent-rich division in the UFC places 'The Eagle' in good stead in terms of legacy. Add to this the 155-pound belt and notable wins over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje; it is hard to argue against his GOAT status.
However, much of Khabib's greatness stemmed from his coach and father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. His father trained in freestyle wrestling, judo and sambo. He won multiple regional competitions before transitioning to coaching.
His career as a coach was nothing short of exemplary. He trained 18 athletes to become world sambo champions. He was granted the title of 'USSR Master of Sports' for his achievements. Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was also the head coach for MMA fighters like Khabib and rising UFC featherweight star Islam Makhachev.
Also read: 5 UFC fighters who retired as champions
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