UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov bizarrely receives 'Best Mom' award in Dagestan
As reported by RT Sport, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has bizarrely received a ‘Best Mom’ award in Dagestan.
Khabib Nurmagomedov received a trinket, with the inscription on it translating to ‘Best Mom’. The Eagle was awarded the trinket in Derbent, Dagestan. Derbent is around 125 km to the south of his hometown Makhachkala and runs along the coast of the Caspian Sea.
Nurmagomedov was purportedly accorded the award due to the fact that he respected his mother’s wish for him to retire from the sport of MMA. He received the award after meeting with youngsters in the town.
Khabib Nurmagomedov surprised the MMA world after UFC 254
The Russian MMA superstar last fought at UFC 254 in October 2020, submitting Justin Gaethje in round two of their fight. Nurmagomedov bested Gaethje impressively and successfully defended and unified the UFC lightweight title.
Following the conclusion of his fight against Gaethje, Nurmagomedov sent shockwaves throughout the mixed martial arts world by announcing his retirement from the sport.
Nurmagomedov revealed that after the death of his father and lifelong coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov in July this year, his mother urged him to retire from MMA.
Khabib noted that his mother didn’t want him to continue his MMA career without his father Abdulmanap by his side.
The Eagle respected his mother’s wishes and has firmly stated that he has indeed retired from MMA and doesn’t intend to compete in the professional MMA realm again. With regard to his retirement, Nurmagomedov stated –
"I had a goal to reach the summit [of MMA] and I got there. Further, I don't have any competitive interest [in sport]."
Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the most popular athletes in combat sports today
Khabib Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as one of the most well-known and highly-skilled combat sports athletes in the world.
Nurmagomedov is revered in his native Russia as well as in many other parts of the world. He has amassed several awards and titles over the course of his long and storied career.
The ‘Best Mom’ award accorded to Nurmagomedov is yet another example of his accomplishments.
The trinket had the ‘Best Mom’ phrase inscribed on it in the Russian language. Nurmagomedov opened up on the award via his Instagram stories and stated:
“This is the trinket they presented me with in Derbent."
Certain sections of the MMA community have pointed out the sheer bizarreness of Nurmagomedov receiving the ‘Best Mom’ award.
Nevertheless, some of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fans have claimed via social media that the award wasn’t meant for Khabib per se, but was for his mother. They believe that Khabib simply received the award on his mother’s behalf.