Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Emotional Throwback with Late Father Abdulmanap Goes Viral

Legendary UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov shares an old picture with his late father and great MMA coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Emotional Throwback with Late Father Abdulmanap Goes Viral

Khabib Nurmagomedov shares a 10-year-old picture with his father (via Instagram)

The Dagestani dominance in the world of MMA was started by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is one of most decorated MMA athletes. The legacy was later carried forward by the current UFC P4P king Islam Makhachev, and other rising fighters from the region. Both of these are the product of hard work and dedication started by Khabib’s father, the legendary Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov from Dagestan.

Abdulmanap was famous for developing elite fighters in Dagestan, combining wrestling, judo, and sambo into a dominant training system. He served in the Soviet army, studied sports science, and dedicated his life to coaching youth, building champions with strict discipline and respect. As Khabib’s father and coach, his philosophy, known as “Father’s Plan,” became legendary worldwide in MMA communities and gyms.

Unfortunately, Abdulmanap lost his life to COVID in 2020, which later prompted Nurmagomedov to retire from professional MMA fighting completely. Khabib’s last bout was against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, which he won by submission in the second round impressively. He immediately dropped to the canvas, crying over his father’s loss, an emotional moment that touched millions of fans around the world.

My Father, my friend, and my coach. He was everything for us Allamdulillah. Photo was taken 10 years ago. 

After five years, Nurmagomedov recently shared an old image of himself with his father on social media, honoring his memory. As expected, the post went viral on the internet, gaining attention from millions of loyal fans. According to Nurmagomedov, his father taught him everything, and without him, he didn’t want to continue fighting in the UFC.

‘The Eagle’ promised his mother that he would quit after that fight, keeping his word and retiring from MMA at the top. The fighter retired with an undefeated record of 29-0 in a sport where avoiding even one single loss is difficult. He was also one of the few fighters to fight so many times without even bleeding once inside the octagon.

Has Khabib Nurmagomedov’s lightweight legacy been overthrown?

Following his retirement, Khabib Nurmagomedov shifted all his focus on full-time coaching and building Team Khabib with great passion. His major success was coaching Islam Makhachev to become the lightweight champion by defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 with dominance.

Following that, Makhachev defended his title four times, more than anybody in history, including Nurmagomedov himself. The P4P king is also cusp on equaling Anderson Silva’s record for the longest winning streak in the UFC. He only needs one more win to make it a record-tying 16-fight winning streak.

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev (via X)

Unlike Nurmagomedov, Makhachev’s fighting style was more complete and balanced with ever-developing striking prowess added to his dominant grappling game. While ‘The Eagle’ liked to exhaust his opponents by mauling them for five rounds, Makhachev often finishes fights more decisively instead.

In a recent podcast, MMA veteran Josh Thomson shared his honest views on the difference between Nurmagomedov and Makhachev’s wrestling.

Khabib used more of the double leg, single leg… And he was real good at turning the corner. Islam is more of, ‘I’ll shoot the single, but then I’ll try to work my way up to the body. When I work my way up to the body, I’ll try and lift, scoop, take your back over your leg, whatever it is. It’s more of a Sambo / Judo style, where there is less effort, but a little bit more explosiveness and using your momentum and your push to take you off base.

On paper, Makhachev has already beaten Nurmagomedov’s lightweight reign, but overall dominance and global stardom are much harder to chase. Currently, Makhachev has vacated the lightweight title and is preparing to fight Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight championship next. If he manages to win a second UFC title, it will strengthen his case against Nurmagomedov and other MMA greats significantly.

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