Watch: Usman Nurmagomedov pays tribute to Khabib Nurmagomedov's father at Bellator 269 weigh-ins
Usman Nurmagomedov paid tribute to his cousin Khabib's late father Abdulmanap at the official weigh-ins for Bellator 269. Usman arrived on the podium wearing a t-shirt with Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's face printed on it. The undefeated fighter pointed to the picture of Abdulmanap and subsequently pointed towards the skies while standing on the scales, paying homage to the great Dagestani MMA coach.
He later took to social media to share a picture from the weigh-ins where he can be seen wearing the t-shirt.
Check out the video below:
Usman Nurmagomedov is scheduled to fight Patrik PietilΓ€ in a 160lbs catchweight bout at Bellator 269 on October 23, 2021. Usman is 13-0 as a professional and has managed to finish his opponents in 11 out of those 13 fights. Following his retirement from MMA last year, Khabib Nurmagomedov was seen cornering Usman for most of his fights.
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Usman Nurmagomedov makes his third Bellator appearance, this time at the VTB Arena in Moscow looking to move to 14-0 π₯
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Usman Nurmagomedov hails cousin Khabib as a great coach as well as cornerman
In a recent interaction with MMA Junkie, Usman Nurmagomedov claimed that Khabib will be an even greater coach than he was a fighter:
βYeah, I believe that Khabib can definitely take that path. And whatever heβs putting his mind to, usually and normally, he achieves that. And in this case, I believe that he can definitely be a better coach than he is a fighter,β Usman said through his translator.
Watch the interview below:
In a previous interview with MMA Fighting, Usman Nurmagomedov revealed that Khabib has been training him since he was a kid. Usman also said that 'The Eagle' is his best cornerman:
βYeah, to be honest, Khabib is the best corner for me because I grew up with him. He saw how I grew up. I started training with him. He trained me from the beginning,β Usman Nurmagomedov said through his translator.