What role did Khabib Nurmagomedov's mother play in his retirement from MMA?
After defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020, UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the sport of MMA.
Speaking in his post-fight interview, 'The Eagle' said that after the passing of his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, he made a promise to his mother that he would not compete again.
"Today, I want to say, it was my last fight and [there's] no way I'm gonna come here without my father [Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov]... After what happened with my father, when UFC called me about Justin [Gaethje], I talk with my mother [for] three days. She don't know how I go fight without father but I promise her, it's gonna be my last fight and if I give my word, I have to follow this," Khabib Nurmagomedov said in his post-fight interview at UFC 254.
You can watch the post-fight speech below:
Khabib's father passed away in July 2020, a few months before his fight with Gaethje.
In an interview with a Russian media outlet, 'The Eagle' stated that, although he missed fighting, he had no intention of breaking the promise he made to his mother.
"My mother is the most precious thing I have left. Come on, you won't push me to do things that disappoint my mother."
Khabib Nurmagomedov said retiring from MMA was the hardest decision of his life as he had always been preparing for some competition ever since he was a kid.
Khabib Nurmagomedov says his father was his biggest inspiration
Khabib Nurmagomedov recently appeared on the Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson podcast. Speaking to Tyson and Henry Cejudo, 'The Eagle' shared memories of his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
"Hey, like, biggest inspiration for me, it was my dad. You know, it was my father. All my life, you know. I'm doing all these things because of him, only because of him. I remember when I fight, like some fights in UFC... I call him right away after the fight and I tried to get from him some good words, you know. And he begin to talk about my mistakes, what I make inside the fight. And I listen to him like two minutes and I say, 'Okay you don't wanna say nothing to me?' He say, 'It was good job, just come back, we have to keep training,'" Khabib Nurmagomedov said on the podcast.
It was Abdulmanap who started training Khabib right from his childhood and played a crucial role in the Daegstani fighter's success in the UFC.