Eagle FC will have a memorial event in honor of Khabib Nurmagomedov's father
Eagle FC, the MMA promotion owned by Khabib Nurmagomedov, will host a memorial event to honor the memory of Khabib's late father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov in September 2021.
In a recent interview with Russian Sports outlet RT Sports MMA, Eagle FC president Shamil Zavurov revealed the promotion will host the memorial event without partnering with other organizations to prove their capability of hosting high-level MMA events.
Apart from spearheading Eagle FC, Shamil Zavurov is also a mixed martial artist that has trained under the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
"We're going to have one event in September and it will be the Abdulmanap (Nurmagomedov) memorial event. We haven't talked about co-hosting it with anyone because we are capable of hosting a high-level event ourselves. If our organization and Fight Nights are both interested, why not? Nothing is set in stone yet. But we're preparing for that event," RT Sport transcription read.
Eagle FC, formerly known as Gorilla FC, is a Russian MMA promotion that was purchased by Khabib Nurmagomedov for $1 million in late 2020. The promotion was rebranded Eagle FC - a reference to his fighting nickname "The Eagle". Shamil Zavurov and Khabib's cousins Usman and Umar have all competed in Gorilla FC previously.
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov wanted Khabib Nurmagomedov to retire with a perfect 30-0 record
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's untimely demise in 2020 was one of the primary reasons behind Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement from professional MMA, apart from the lack of competitive interest.
Khabib has reiterated on multiple occasions that it was, in fact, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's dream to have him retire from MMA with a 30-0 record. However, The Eagle chose to hang up the gloves after securing the 29th win of his professional MMA career against Justin Gaethje in October 2020.
Despite persistent efforts from the UFC and Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov stayed firm on his decision to retire. However, the Eagle FC event in September will be hosted to honor the legacy of the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Khabib is still one fight away from achieving the dream his father envisioned for him. If both these factors are taken into account, it will not be completely out of the realm of reality if Khabib chooses to compete one last time at the event.